The Egyptian national football team secured its first-ever World Cup Round of 16 berth by defeating Australia 4-2 in a penalty shootout, after players reviewed tactical video footage on a laptop moments before the kicks.
Performance analyst Mahmoud Selim showed the Egyptian players a clip of a penalty scored by Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid against Levante on January 17.
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The video aimed to analyze the movements of Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, who was substituted into the match by coach Tony Popovich in the 119th minute specifically for the shootout.
All four Egyptian penalty takers—Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah, and Hossam Abdel Majeed—scored against Ryan.
Meanwhile, Australian players Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed their penalties, allowing the Pharaohs to advance.
Global Media Reaction
French newspaper L'Equipe highlighted the precise details of the scene, describing how Mohamed Salah sat cross-legged in front of the screen while pausing and rewinding the video to study Ryan's movements.
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The publication mockingly thanked Mbappe for providing the footage that helped Egypt crack the Australian goalkeeper's strategy.
Spanish publication As regarded the huddle around the laptop as a defining moment of the tournament, noting that the coaching staff utilized the brief warm-up passing period before the shootout to showcase the video.
Marca compared Popovich's tactical move to Louis van Gaal's famous goalkeeper substitution during the 2014 World Cup, but noted that the gamble ultimately failed as Ryan saved no penalties and guessed the correct direction only once.
French network RMC published a satirical headline regarding the failed tactical substitution, while Spanish newspaper Sport drew attention to the overarching impact of modern technology on the pitch.
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British newspaper The Sun highlighted various fan comments from social media, with reactions ranging from admiration to skepticism about the role of luck in penalty shootouts.
