Salah leads Egypt to first World Cup win, 3-1 over New Zealand

Mohamed Salah turned a tense group-stage match in Vancouver into a landmark night for Egypt, delivering the corner that Mahmoud Trezeguet headed home in a diving finish for a 3-1 win over New Zealand at BC Place Stadium. The result gave Egypt its first men’s World Cup victory and sent the Pharaohs to the top of Group G.

New Zealand struck first when Finn Surman headed in from a corner in the 15th minute, and Egypt went to halftime trailing 1-0, the first time the team had ever reached the break behind in a World Cup match. The response after halftime changed the match completely. Mostafa Zico equalized in the 58th minute, Salah put Egypt ahead in the 67th, and Trezeguet finished the comeback in the 82nd with a diving header at the near post past Max Crocombe.

The sequence on the winning goal underlined how sharply Egypt shifted the game. Salah’s delivery from the corner flag was weighted into the danger area, Trezeguet attacked the ball with a hard run, and the header gave Egypt a cushion that New Zealand could not recover from. In a full BC Place with strong Egyptian support, the goal felt like more than a third tally. It was the moment the match stopped being a comeback and became a statement.

The victory carried heavy historical weight. Egypt had played in the 1934, 1990 and 2018 World Cups without winning a match, and this was its fourth appearance overall. FIFA noted that the triumph came 92 years and 25 days after Egypt’s debut in the tournament, a stretch that had made the wait for a first win part of the team’s identity.

Salah finished with 68 international goals for Egypt and was named FIFA’s Superior Player of the Match. He left to an ovation in the 85th minute, with the outcome already secure. Egypt’s place at the top of Group G did not yet guarantee qualification, though, and the team still needed at least a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday, June 26, to advance after opening with a 1-1 draw against Belgium and New Zealand’s 2-2 tie with Iran.