Mohamed Salah etched his name in Egypt’s FIFA World Cup history as he guided the Pharaohs to a 3-1 comeback win against New Zealand on Monday, June 22. The 34-year-old recorded a goal and an assist in the match, becoming his country’s all-time top scorer in the World Cup.
Following an impressive 1-1 draw with Belgium in their opening fixture, Egypt came into the clash with New Zealand high in confidence as they chased their first-ever World Cup win. However, the North African side found themselves trailing 15 minutes into the match, with the All Whites taking the lead through a Finn Surman header.
Thanks for the submission!
The Pharaohs, however, switched things up in the second half with a masterclass display to turn the tie around. Mostafa Zico restored parity for Egypt with a power header in the 59th minute. Nine minutes later, Egypt scored again after a beautiful exchange between Zico and Salah.
The former Liverpool forward collected the ball out on the right, drove into the box and played a well-timed on-two with Zico, before curling the ball into the bottom corner. This was Salah’s third FIFA World Cup goal, and the most by an Egyptian player at the quadrennial tournament. He previously shared the record with Abdelrahman Fawzi.
The seven-time African champions then doubled their lead eight minutes from regulation time, as Trezeguet headed home off a Salah corner to make it 3-1, rubberstamping a historic day in Egyptian football.
Following the win, Egypt took to their official X handle to laud Salah for becoming the nation’s all-time scorer at the FIFA World Cup. They wrote:
“The king etches his name with letters of gold. Mohamed Salah becomes the Pharaohs’ all-time top scorer in the World Cup.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is Salah’s second outing at the Mundial. He made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2018 and scored against Russia and Saudi Arabia in that edition.
Mohamed Salah reacts after guiding Egypt to first FIFA World Cup win
Mohamed Salah was elated after propelling Egypt to their first-ever FIFA World Cup win on Monday. The ex-Liverpool winger said after the game (as quoted by @salahupdates on X):
“I can’t find the words to describe this achievement, for it is a great achievement for all the players, we have made history, and everyone will remember this achievement.”
Having secured their maiden World Cup victory, Hossam Hassan’s side will now aim to qualify for the knockout stage for the first time in the nation’s history. Egypt wrap up their group stage fixtures with a tough clash with Iran on June 27.
Edited by Okenna Okere