Salah’s Egypt beat Australia on penalties to reach the World Cup last 16
Egypt won their first World Cup knockout match in Dallas, edging Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. A last-16 tie with Messi’s Argentina is the reward.
Jul 4, 2026
Egypt are into the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time, and they got there the hard way. Their round-of-32 tie with Australia in Dallas finished 1-1 after extra time on Friday, and it was only in the shootout that Mohamed Salah and his team-mates finally settled it, winning 4-2 to record the country’s first knockout victory in tournament history.
Ashour strikes early, an own goal levels it
Egypt could not have asked for a better start. Emam Ashour climbed highest to head them in front after 13 minutes inside the roofed, air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys, and for long stretches they looked the more composed side. Australia’s route back was a scrappy one. Around ten minutes after the interval Mohamed Hany got the faintest of touches on a ball flashing across his own six-yard box and turned it into his own net, handing Australia an equaliser out of nothing.
The Socceroos grew into the contest after that, but Egypt kept threatening to win it inside 90 minutes. Ramy Rabia thought he had done exactly that deep into stoppage time, only for a superb save from young goalkeeper Patrick Beach to claw his 94th-minute effort away and drag the game into extra time.
Salah holds his nerve from the spot
Salah came alive in the extra half-hour, dropping deep to pull the strings, but neither side could force a winner across the additional 30 minutes. Australia even rolled the dice for the shootout, sending on veteran Mat Ryan in the 119th minute in the hope that a specialist would swing the lottery their way.
It did not work. Egypt were flawless from 12 yards, converting all four of their kicks, with Salah dinking a cool Panenka straight down the middle and Hossam Abdelmaguid rolling in the decisive spot-kick. For Australia, Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington both failed to score, and that was the difference as the Pharaohs came through 4-2.
Salah and Messi to meet in the last 16
The reward is one of the ties of the round. Egypt will face Argentina and Lionel Messi for a place in the quarter-finals, a meeting of two of the most watched forwards of their generation. Australia, so close to a first knockout win of their own, are left to rue the two missed penalties and a night when their finishing deserted them at the worst possible moment.