Egypt secured its first-ever World Cup victory by defeating New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday night, June 21, 2026, during a Group G match at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
Mohamed Salah scored the decisive go-ahead goal in the 67th minute before being substituted to a standing ovation in the 85th minute, propelling Egypt to the top of the Group G standings.
"It's a great achievement for all the players. It's a great win.
It's a great vibe. The next game is very important," said Salah.
The victory puts Egypt in a position where they need at least a draw against Iran on Friday in Seattle to advance to the knockout round.
New Zealand had initially taken the lead in the 15th minute when Finn Surman scored a header off a corner kick delivered by Tim Payne, marking the third international goal for the Portland Timbers defender.
Egypt equalized in the 58th minute when Mostafa Zico scored a header, before Salah later converted a back-heel pass from Zico, leaving him one goal short of tying national coach Hossam Hassan's all-time scoring record.
Trezeguet sealed the win for Egypt with a diving header in the 82nd minute, while New Zealand failed to recover despite pushing through 10 minutes of stoppage time.
"My feelings are the same as those of the Egyptian people because I am one of them.
I am one of them and I love them - those who came here and those who stayed up back in Egypt watching," said Hassan, Egypt coach.
The manager added that the packed stadium in Vancouver felt as though the team was playing back home in Cairo Stadium.
"The stadium felt as if we were in Egypt.
The fans made it feel as though we were playing in Egypt, and I told the players, 'We're playing in Egypt.'
The stadium was full, like Cairo Stadium," said Hassan.
New Zealand previously drew 2-2 with Iran in their group opener, where Elijah Just scored both goals, but failed to maintain their advantage against Egypt.
"I think we contained them well enough, but they have good enough people in the whole side," said Chris Wood, New Zealand captain.
The captain acknowledged that opponents cannot solely focus on Egypt's star forward given the depth of the squad.
"You can't just focus on one player, and he (Salah) can pop up with a goal at any time and he showed that," said Wood.
The New Zealand skipper noted that multiple players on the Egyptian roster are capable of causing strategic problems.
"He's a good player, you have to keep an eye on him, but there's also a lot of other boys in that team that create problems and eventually they scored goals as well," said Wood.
