Egypt booked a place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for the first time after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time on Friday.
Hossam Abdelmaguid converted the decisive spot-kick to seal the historic victory after Australia’s Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed from the penalty spot.
The Pharaohs will face defending champions Argentina in the last 16, provided Lionel Messi’s side overcome tournament debutants Cape Verde in their Round of 32 fixture.
An emotional Egypt captain, Mohamed Salah, hailed the achievement as a landmark moment for the country.
“It’s history,” Salah said after the match. “I told the boys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on. Enjoy it and don’t let the pressure get to you.”
Australia coach Tony Popovic introduced experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan shortly before the penalty shootout in a tactical gamble, but the move failed to prevent Egypt’s triumph.
Salah confidently converted his penalty with a chipped effort before Abdelmaguid scored the winning kick to send Egypt through.
“If somebody was going to do it, it would be me,” Salah said of his penalty. “I am more experienced than others and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided at the last minute.”
Egypt took the lead in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour headed home Karim Hafez’s cross for his second goal of the tournament.
Australia equalised 10 minutes into the second half after defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently headed into his own net under pressure from an inswinging free-kick.
Both teams pushed for a winner but failed to find a breakthrough during regulation time and extra time, forcing the contest into penalties.
Australia came close to taking the lead early in the match when Cristian Volpato struck the crossbar, while Egypt missed several opportunities to extend their advantage, including a close-range effort from Omar Marmoush shortly after the restart.
The Socceroos also suffered a setback when wing-back Jordan Bos was forced off injured before half-time following a heavy challenge.
Despite a subdued performance after recovering from a hamstring injury, Salah played a key leadership role as Egypt held their nerve in the shootout to secure a historic victory and advance to the knockout stage.
