2026 World Cup: Egypt Celebrates After Penalty Shootout, Australia Eliminated
Egypt defeats Australia in a penalty shootout and secures a spot in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup: after a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shootout, where mistakes by Souttar and Herrington proved costly for the Australians. Salah and his teammates will face the winner of Argentina vs. Cape Verde in the round of 16.
The first half was lacking in scoring chances, aside from the opening 15 minutes of the match. Australia got off to a better start, with Italian-Australian Volpato hitting the crossbar in the 5th minute with a long-range shot. But in the 13th minute, the Pharaohs took the lead thanks to a header by Ashour, which came off a free kick. After the North Africans took the lead, the game became disjointed and the pace slowed, with both teams struggling to create scoring chances. Salah was off his game.
The second half opened with a costly mistake by Marmoush, who missed a chance to make it 2-0 on a counterattack right in front of the Australian goalkeeper. In the 55th minute, the Australians equalized: following a set piece, Egyptian defender Hany accidentally headed the ball into his own net: 1-1—it was his second own goal in this World Cup after the one against Belgium.
Egypt tried to build plays from open play, while Australia continued to rely on set pieces. In the closing minutes, the Pharaohs’ pressure intensified, and Beach saved the day in the 93rd minute by stopping Rabia’s shot, set up by Salah. Two minutes later, Hassan’s sure-fire shot is blocked by the Australian defense: the match goes into extra time.
In extra time, fatigue takes its toll, and only Egypt pushes forward, trying at all costs to avoid a penalty shootout. Attia and Ashour had two chances but lacked precision. The penalty shootout decided the outcome; in the final minute, the Australians brought in Ryan, a penalty-saving specialist, to replace Beach. The Egyptian players wasted no time and, together with their staff, watched video footage on a computer of the penalties saved by the newly substituted player.
For Australia, Souttar misses by sending his penalty high into the air, and Herrington hits the post. The Egyptians, on the other hand, are flawless (Salah scores with a chip shot) and advance to the round of 16.
