Salah scores a Panenka and Egypt beat Australia on penalties to make 2026 World Cup history

A win that belongs in the history books of Egyptian football. After three World Cup appearances without ever winning a knockout match — eliminated in 1934, 1990 and 2018 — the Pharaohs buried the curse in Dallas. Emam Ashour opened at 13', Australia equalized through a Mohamed Hany own goal at 55', and after 120 minutes without further goals it went to penalties. There, Egypt didn't blink: Mohamed Salah settled it with a Panenka. Souttar and Lucas Herrington (off the post) missed. Egypt 4-2. In the round of 16, the biggest possible opponent awaits: Messi's Argentina.

The first meeting in a World Cup

Australia and Egypt had crossed paths twice in football history, but had never met in a World Cup knockout before. The previous games were friendlies — 0-0 in Seoul (1987) and 3-0 Egypt in Cairo (2010) — leaving this as the first real duel between the two sides at a World Cup.

• 1987 — Seoul: 0-0 (friendly)
• 2010 — Cairo: Egypt 3-0 Australia (friendly)
• 2026 — Dallas: 1-1 (Egypt 4-2 on pens.)

A painful karma twist: in 2022, it was the Australians who fell to Messi's Argentina in the round of 16. In 2026, they fall in the round of 32 — and the team that eliminated them now heads to face that same Argentina in the next round.

Australia in World Cup knockouts

Egypt in World Cup knockouts

Egypt's World Cup story is short in games but huge in meaning. In 1934, they became the first African, Arab and Middle Eastern nation to play a World Cup — and lost 4-2 to Hungary in a single knockout. In 1990 and 2018, they returned but bowed out in the group stage without winning a knockout tie. 92 years after their debut, their first ever knockout triumph.

How the match unfolded

The numbers reveal a classic football paradox: Australia had more shots (16 to 14), but only 1 on target compared to 4 for Egypt. The Pharaohs were more efficient where it matters — they created 3 big chances to Australia's zero, and their 1.36 xG topped the Socceroos' 0.87. Ashour struck at 13', Hany diverted into his own net at 55', and the following 120 minutes were pure tension. On penalties, Salah wrote history with a Panenka that silenced any doubt about who the favorite was in the decisive moment.

Match facts

• 13' — Emam Ashour (EGY), finish inside the box
• 55' — Mohamed Hany (EGY), own goal — deflected off the defender

Penalty shootout

Australia's standouts

Mat Ryan (Real Betis, 34). Captain with 104 caps, the team's most experienced player. He was specifically brought back on for the shootout — he didn't stop any of Egypt's four kicks, but the bet was strategic. A career that leaves a legacy well beyond one night in Dallas.

Harry Souttar (Leicester, 26). Nobody on the pitch played a more complete defensive game: 8 aerial duels won, 7 clearances and 3 blocks over 120 minutes. The cruel irony: the defensive hero was the first Australian to miss in the shootout. Football chooses its heroes and villains in the same player.

Nestory Irankunda (Watford, 21). The youngest and most promising. He had already been Australia's youngest ever World Cup scorer in the group stage. Born to Burundian parents, came through Bayern's youth setup and reflects Australia's new generation — talented, European and unafraid.

Egypt's standouts

Mohamed Salah (Al-Qadsiah, 34). Captain, one of the greatest in African football history. Created 5 chances over 120 minutes — more than any other player — and took the fifth penalty. The Panenka executed with absolute coldness, tapping softly into the middle as Ryan dived, summed up in a single gesture what Salah represents. Possibly his farewell to the biggest tournament in the world.

Omar Marmoush (Manchester City, 27). Egypt's most valuable player (€50M), coming off a season in which he won the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Was the striker who most troubled the Australian defense. Present and future of Egyptian football.

Emam Ashour (Al Ahly, 27). One of eight Al Ahly players in the squad, he scored the goal that opened the path to the historic win at 13'. Representative of the domestic backbone: quality doesn't depend on a European league.

Market value: compact squad vs a strong collective

The Egyptian squad is valued at around €116 million — Marmoush alone accounts for nearly half of that, with €50 million. On the Australian side, Irankunda is the most valuable at €8 million: a squad built on collective spirit, not individual stars. Australia reached the round of 32 with the character and organization to turn every game into a real battle.

Next opponent

In the round of 16, Egypt face Messi's Argentina — who struggled to beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time on the same day in Miami. Salah vs Messi, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. Follow it all here at Guriball.