The match began with Egyptian caution in the face of early Australian pressure, as a strong shot by the Australian team hit the crossbar in the fourth minute, before Rami Rabia intervened brilliantly to ward off a dangerous attack in the sixth minute.
Despite the Australian advantage in the first minutes, the Egyptian team succeeded in opening the scoring in the 12th minute through Imam Ashour, who scored with a header from inside the penalty area, giving the “Pharaohs” an early lead that changed the shape of the match.
After the goal, the Egyptian national team tried to absorb the Australian pressure and rely on counterattacks. Omar Marmoush almost increased the score in the 16th minute with a dangerous shot, but the Australian defense blocked it. Zico also led an attack in the 20th minute that ended in offside.
The first half witnessed clear brilliance from goalkeeper Mustafa Schubert, who blocked more than one Australian attempt, most notably a powerful shot from Behić in the 35th minute, then Mufaq’s exit in the 36th minute against the Australian striker. The first half ended with Egypt leading 1-0.
At the beginning of the second half, Omar Marmoush wasted an important opportunity to add the second goal after he was alone with the Australian goalkeeper in the 46th minute, before the Australian team began clear pressure on Egypt’s goal.
In the 54th minute, Australia equalized with an own goal scored by Mohamed Hani, bringing the match back to square one. After the goal, the Egyptian team’s physical performance declined, and the Australian team had a relative advantage, with repeated attempts at Schubert’s goal.
Hossam Hassan made substitutions to revitalize the team, including including Haitham Hassan for the first time in the World Cup, while the Egyptian team tried to regain control and apply pressure to snatch the winning goal. Rami Rabia almost scored in the 90th + 3rd minute with a header, but the Australian goalkeeper miraculously blocked it, so regular time ended in a 1-1 draw and extra time was resorted to.
In the additional two halves, the Egyptian team seemed more active, especially with the movements of Haitham Hassan, who revitalized the offensive front with his incursions. Mohamed Salah shot a powerful ball over the goal in the 92nd minute, then Imam Ashour tried with a shot in the 102nd minute, but it went wide.
Marwan Attia also had an opportunity in the 108th minute with a shot that changed direction, but the Australian goalkeeper noticed it. On the other hand, the Australian national team tried to threaten Egypt’s goal in the last minutes, before introducing its experienced goalkeeper Rayyan in the 119th minute in preparation for the penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, the Egyptian team maintained its calm, and Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah, and Hossam Abdel Majeed scored their kicks successfully. On the other hand, Australia scored through Jackson Irvine and Nable, while Harry Souttar and Herrington missed.
Egypt won the penalty shootout with a score of 4-2, writing one of its most important pages in the history of the World Cup, and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, after a long and exciting match that extended until the final moments.
