Salah Magic Strikes Again! Egypt Make World Cup History With Stunning Comeback 3-1 over New Zealanders, Stats
Mohamed Salah delivered another unforgettable night as Egypt secured their first-ever World Cup victory, fighting back to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in a dramatic Group G clash.
The Pharaohs captain was the difference-maker, scoring one and creating another as Egypt climbed to the top of the group and moved closer to a historic knockout-stage place.
New Zealand shocked Egypt early, taking the lead in the 15th minute when Finn Surman powered a header past the goalkeeper from Tim Payne’s corner. But Egypt refused to panic, pushing forward and searching for the comeback.
Their breakthrough finally arrived in the 58th minute when Mostafa Zico’s powerful header levelled the match — and from there, Salah took control.
The Egyptian superstar combined with Zico on a lightning-fast counterattack before calmly curling the ball into the bottom corner to complete the turnaround.
Substitute Trezeguet sealed the historic win in the 82nd minute, finishing from Salah’s corner to send Egyptian fans into celebration.
A goal. An assist. A captain’s performance.
Mohamed Salah didn’t just win a match — he created a World Cup moment Egypt will never forget.
New Zealand 1-3 Egypt Match stats, facts, records
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2026
Egypt have won their first game at the FIFA World Cup and have become the first CAF team to win a FIFA World Cup match after conceding the opening goal of the game since Tunisia against Panama at the 2018 tournament.
At 34 years and 7 days old, Mohamed Salah has now become the oldest Egyptian player to score in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record set by Magdy Abed El Ghani against the Netherlands in 1990 (30 years, 320 days).
This was only the second time that Egypt have scored more than once in a FIFA World Cup match (1934 vs Hungary in their first game in the tournament).
First time that New Zealand have lost a FIFA World Cup match after scoring first. They recorded draws in their only two previous games they’ve scored first (2-2 in 2026 vs IR Iran and 1-1 in 2010 vs Italy).
New Zealand remain winless after their first eight FIFA World Cup matches (D4 L4) with only Honduras (D3 L6) playing more games and remaining winless at the World Cup.
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