ARLINGTON, Texas — Egypt reached the World Cup round of 16 by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32.
Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the decisive penalty for the Pharaohs, sending his shot low left after Australia had missed twice in the shootout. Egypt converted all four of its attempts through Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah and Abdelmaguid.
Harry Souttar missed high with Australia’s opening attempt, and 18-year-old Lucas Herrington later hit the crossbar. Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil scored for the Socceroos.
Mathew Ryan came on late in extra time for Patrick Beach but did not save any of Egypt’s four penalties. Ryan, 34, was making his 105th international appearance, while Beach, 22, had made several important saves before being replaced.
Emam Ashour Scores Before Mohamed Hany Own-Goal
Egypt led in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour headed the ball past Beach at the near post. Australia equalized in the 55th through a Mohamed Hany own-goal after Aiden O’Neill delivered a free kick from the left side of the penalty area.
It was Hany’s second own-goal of the World Cup, after another in a 1-1 draw with Belgium. Less than 10 minutes before the equalizer, Hany had stayed in the match after receiving attention from Medical personnel following a collision with Connor Metcalfe.
Omar Marmoush missed a chance to extend Egypt’s lead early in the second half. Beach later denied a Ramy Rabia header near the end of regulation and then stopped Salah, before Souttar blocked Haissem Hassan’s attempt with his knee.
Egypt Earns First Knockout Win
The result gave Egypt its first victory in a World Cup knockout match. The country had not won a World Cup match before beating New Zealand 3-1 in the group stage at this expanded 48-team tournament.
Hassan said he was thinking about the Egyptian fans during the shootout and praying that God would make them happy. He also said he told his players to focus only on their own kicks and not on the pressure or the goalkeeper.
Australia remains 0-3 in World Cup knockout matches. The Socceroos lost 1-0 to Italy in 2006 and 2-1 to Argentina in Qatar, with their only knockout-round scoring coming from own-goals.
“It hurts when you get that close,” Australia coach Tony Popovic said. “Unfortunately, we bow out in a penalty shootout, so it’s difficult to take right now.”
Egypt next faces defending champion Argentina, which beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, in the round of 16 in Atlanta.