Egypt finally has its first World Cup knockout win. And Australia has a decision it will be second-guessing for years.
With 90 seconds left in a 1-1 Round of 16 match, Australia pulled starting goalkeeper Patrick Beach and sent in veteran Mat Ryan specifically for the penalty shootout. It was a pre-planned move, and it failed completely. Ryan didn’t save a single spot kick. Egypt converted all four of theirs and won 4-2 on penalties.
The moment that sealed it came from Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian captain walked up and chipped the ball straight down the middle. No drama, just a cold finish. Salah said he didn’t decide on that shot until the very last second. “I don’t know if it’s my last World Cup so I had to do it,” he told BBC One.
The cruel math of a pre-planned swap
Beach had just made a massive save in stoppage time, denying Ramy Rabia’s header to keep Australia alive. He was the reason the shootout was even possible. Then he got yanked for a guy who didn’t come close to any Egyptian attempt.
Australia’s spot kicks were just as rough. Harry Souttar launched his first attempt over the bar. Lucas Herrington, an 18-year-old making his tournament debut, smacked the crossbar. Two misses in five tries is a death sentence in a World Cup shootout.
Mohamed Hany had a night he will not want to relive. He scored an own goal for Australia earlier in the match, only the second player in World Cup history to put two in his own net at the same tournament. The first was Bulgaria’s Ivan Vutsov way back in 1966. That own goal also set a new single-tournament record — the 13th of this World Cup.
How the game got to penalties
Egypt started strong. Emam Ashour put them ahead in the 13th minute. His first shot off a free kick was blocked, but he chased the loose ball and headed it past Beach at the near post. It was Egypt’s first goal ever in a World Cup knockout round.
Omar Marmoush nearly doubled the lead early in the second half with a shot that whistled just wide. Then came the own goal. Aiden O’Neill whipped in a free kick, and Hany — still maybe rattled after taking a heavy blow to the head earlier — could only deflect it into his own net.
Salah called the win history. He told his teammates before the match that this was the biggest stage they would ever play on. For Egypt, it is. For Australia, the math on that goalkeeper gamble just didn’t add up.
Leave a Comment