Egypt claimed their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory in dramatic fashion, coming from a goal down to beat New Zealand 3-1 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Monday and move to the top of Group G.The Pharaohs showed character and resilience after trailing at halftime, producing a dominant second-half display that earned them a historic win and put them firmly on course for a place in the knockout stages.
The result lifted Egypt to four points from their opening two matches, leaving them top of the group ahead of their final group-stage clash against Iran on Saturday. New Zealand, meanwhile, remain on three points and will face Belgium in their last fixture. New Zealand made a brighter start and threatened through Sarpreet Singh before forcing goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir into a series of early saves. Their pressure paid off in the 15th minute when Tim Payne’s corner found Finn Surman, who rose above the Egyptian defence and powered a header into the roof of the net for a 1-0 lead.
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Egypt gradually settled into the contest and began to dominate possession, with Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush both going close before the break. However, Max Crocombe produced a number of important interventions to preserve New Zealand’s advantage heading into halftime. The Africans emerged with renewed intensity after the restart and were rewarded in the 59th minute. Mohamed Hany delivered an inviting cross into the box, and Mostafa Ziko timed his run perfectly before heading emphatically into the roof of the net to level the scores.
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With momentum firmly on their side, Egypt continued to press forward and completed the turnaround nine minutes later. Ziko turned provider this time, slipping a clever pass into the path of Salah, who calmly slotted into the bottom corner to put the Pharaohs 2-1 ahead.
New Zealand struggled to respond as Egypt controlled possession and looked increasingly dangerous on the counterattack.The victory was sealed in the 81st minute when Salah’s corner found substitute Trezeguet inside the six-yard box, and the experienced forward guided a close-range header into the bottom corner to make it 3-1. The final whistle sparked celebrations among the Egyptian players and supporters as the Pharaohs secured a landmark World Cup triumph. With four points from two matches, Hossam Hassan’s men now have one foot in the knockout rounds and will be confident of finishing the job when they face Iran on Saturday.