Egypt beat Australia on penalties to reach historic World Cup last 16

The Pharaohs held their nerve from the spot in Arlington after a tense 120-minute contest in which both sides squandered chances to settle the match. Captain Mohamed Salah, returning from a hamstring injury, calmly converted his penalty before Abdelmaguid struck the winner to spark jubilant celebrations among the Egyptian players.

Australia coach Tony Popovic made a late tactical gamble by introducing veteran goalkeeper Mathew Ryan specifically for the shootout, but the move failed to pay off. Defender Harry Souttar blasted Australia's opening penalty over the bar before 18-year-old Lucas Herrington struck the crossbar, allowing Egypt to seal a famous victory.

Egypt will now face defending champions Argentina in the last 16 after Lionel Messi's side overcame Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time earlier on Friday.

Emam Ashour gave the seven-time African champions an early advantage, heading home Karim Hafez's cross at the back post in the 13th minute for his second goal of the tournament.

Australia responded after the break, drawing level in the 55th minute when Mohamed Hany inadvertently headed into his own net under pressure from a dangerous in-swinging free-kick. It was the Egyptian defender's second own goal of the tournament.

The Socceroos had started brightly, with Cristian Volpato rattling the crossbar inside the opening five minutes, while Aziz Behich forced a comfortable save from goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir before halftime.

Egypt, meanwhile, created the clearer opportunities. Omar Marmoush squandered a golden chance seconds after the restart, sliding wide from close range, while Salah—still short of full fitness—struggled to influence proceedings despite flashes of quality.

As the match wore on, Egypt looked the more threatening side. Patrick Beach produced an excellent late save to deny Ramy Rabia in stoppage time, ensuring the contest went into extra time.

Neither team could find a breakthrough in the additional 30 minutes, although Salah fired over from a promising position as penalties became inevitable.

In the shootout, Egypt were flawless. Salah confidently converted before Abdelmaguid buried the winning kick after Australia's costly misses, leaving the Liverpool forward in tears of joy as the Pharaohs celebrated a landmark achievement.

Having claimed their first-ever World Cup victory in the group stage against New Zealand, Egypt have now reached the knockout phase for the first time and kept alive their dream of a historic run in the tournament.