Egypt turned a long, nervous night in Arlington into the country’s first World Cup knockout win, beating Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at AT&T Stadium.
Emam Ashour gave Egypt the early control with a 13th-minute header from Karim Hafez’s delivery, only for Australia to pull level in the 55th minute when Mohamed Hany turned the ball into his own net. The own goal fit a tournament pattern Stadio has tracked in its look at 2026 World Cup own goals, but Egypt found a cleaner way through once the match reached penalties.
Australia’s shootout started badly when Harry Souttar went over the bar. Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia and Mohamed Salah all scored for Egypt, while Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil kept Australia alive. Lucas Herrington then hit the bar, giving Hossam Abdelmaguid the chance to finish the tie. He put his penalty away, and Egypt had survived a match that had turned into a test of patience as much as execution.
Australia produced 16 shots but only one on target across 120 minutes. Egypt had fewer attempts, 14, but three on target, 58.3 percent possession and seven corners. Those numbers fit the feel of the tie: Egypt had the ball for longer stretches, Australia had territory and late pressure, but neither side created enough separation to avoid the shootout.
Egypt keeps its nerve after the equalizer
The night could have bent away from Egypt after Hany’s own goal. Australia had the crowd energy, a revived attack and a chance to turn the match into a scramble. Egypt instead slowed the game down, kept Salah involved and pushed the tie into extra time without letting the equalizer become a collapse.
Salah’s role wasn’t only about his penalty. His delivery created one of Egypt’s better second-half chances, a Ramy Rabia header saved by Patrick Beach, and his movement kept Australia from committing too many bodies forward. In a knockout match with thin margins, that control helped Egypt reach the shootout with enough legs and nerve to finish the job.
Egypt now moves into the Round of 16 with a result that changes the frame around its tournament. Australia exits after fighting back from the early deficit, but its final touch of the match belonged to Egypt’s penalty takers, who made the country’s knockout debut count.
The win also adds another late-tournament twist to a second week that had already reshaped the bracket, a theme Stadio covered in five things week two taught us about the World Cup.
