Mohamed Salah scored and assisted as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 for the program’s first-ever World Cup victory, sparking celebrations at BC Place in Vancouver and setting up a decisive Group G match against Iran on June 26 in Seattle.
When the final whistle sounded in Vancouver, Mohamed Salah didn’t rush to the center of the moment. He soaked in it—Egyptian fans packed into BC Place, cheering as the country’s long wait for a World Cup win finally ended.
Salah had delivered it himself. His goal and assist powered Egypt to a 3-1 victory over New Zealand, turning what had looked like a slow start into history for the Pharaohs. It was Egypt’s first World Cup victory ever, and Salah made sure it carried his stamp.
“It’s a great achievement,” Salah said. “We just do our best in the tournament to make the people happy in Egypt.”
The turnaround didn’t come right away. Egypt entered the second half trailing 1-0 and had little to show offensively. For long stretches, Salah—Egypt’s captain—was virtually invisible in the match’s rhythm.
Then, after halftime, the game shifted quickly. In the 58th minute, Mostafa Ziko opened the scoring, leveling Egypt’s posture from survival mode to belief. Salah took it further in the 67th minute, scoring the goal that gave Egypt its first lead of the night.
Salah didn’t stop there. He sent a corner into the box, and Trezeguet—an Egyptian veteran—headed the ball into the net to push Egypt to a 3-1 lead.
“I told the guys that we can write history today,” Salah said. “I think we will be remembered for years to come.”
Even as the celebrations grew louder around him, Salah’s exit in the 85th minute came with a roar from the Egyptian faithful. He walked off to a standing ovation, then stood for a moment—calm, watching the storm of emotion rise after the final minutes.
“What happened today is history for us as Egyptians,” Salah said. “It seems to other teams, ‘OK, it’s fine, you see a lot of teams win games,’ but for us as Egyptians it’s the first time in history.”
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan described how the team protected that moment once it arrived. Through a translator, he said the halftime message was firm and the plan wouldn’t bend.
“In between the first and second half, we said it’s a no-go; we are not going to leave that pitch unless we claim the victory,” Hassan said through a translator. “I told the players, I am not willing to withdraw. I am not willing to go two steps back.”
On the other side, New Zealand couldn’t disguise the sting. Finn Surnam struck first with a dramatic header off a Tim Payne corner kick, and with the lead holding into halftime, the team started to believe.
“We’re winning 1-0, can we win the game 1-0,” New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley said. “That’s two games in a row where we’ve been a goal up.”
But Egypt refused to let the match stay small. Down the stretch, the All Whites crumbled after a strong first half, leaving New Zealand to wonder how close it had been to its own milestone—its first-ever World Cup victory.
“That could’ve been us,” Bazeley said. “We could have been in that moment with the flags and the fans and everything. So, yeah, it hurts.”
The victory carried a particular kind of weight for Egypt: the narrative of a youthful “golden age” has been circulating, but when the pressure arrived, the veterans delivered. Salah’s decisive goal and assist, and Trezeguet’s headed finish, turned experience into momentum.
“We depend on the young players who want to prove themselves and we have the veterans,” Hassan said.
Egypt now sits atop Group G with four points heading into the final group stage match. Salah and his team can keep the momentum going—one more win could be enough to take the group. Their next test is against Iran on June 26 in Seattle.
The night in Vancouver didn’t just hand Egypt a win. It gave a country a first, and it gave Salah a place in its story that will be hard to dislodge.
Mohamed Salah Egypt World Cup New Zealand World Cup BC Place Vancouver Group G Hossam Hassan Mostafa Ziko Trezeguet Iran match June 26 Seattle
Salah really did it wow.
Wait Egypt beat New Zealand?? I thought the whole World Cup was in Qatar lol. Either way that’s awesome for them, love seeing an underdog finally win. Also BC Place in Vancouver sounds random.
I don’t get it, Salah was “invisible” for most of the match and then suddenly scored and assisted twice? Sounds like the coach just switched stuff after halftime. Plus Ziko?? I feel like I’ve heard that name but I thought he played for like… a different club. Either way Egypt better not blow it next game.
I saw a clip where people were screaming at BC Place and I was like okay go off. But why is Egypt’s first World Cup win happening now, like didn’t they qualify before? And “set up a decisive match against Iran” like isn’t Iran in a totally different group usually? Idk I just know Salah is a beast and the fans deserve the win.