VANCOUVER, June 22 — Mohamed Salah inspired Egypt to their first-ever World Cup victory as they came from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1 in a superb second-half display this morning, moving to the top of Group G and boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
After a relatively subdued first half that saw them trail at the break, Egypt and Salah came alive after the restart as the 34-year-old forward demonstrated he remains capable of producing moments of brilliance.
“It’s a great achievement for all the players. It’s a great win. It’s a great vibe. The next game is very important,” Salah said as he celebrated with his teammates.
Egypt, who drew 1-1 with Belgium in their opening match, moved top of the group with four points from two games.
New Zealand, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Iran in their opener, remain bottom of the group with one point. Belgium were held to a goalless draw by Iran earlier.
New Zealand’s first-half approach was simple but effective, mixing direct play with controlled possession when opportunities arose.
Defender Finn Surman broke the deadlock from a corner, losing his marker Ahmed Fatouh before powering a header into the net.
Although Callum McCowatt had an early glancing header tipped over the bar, Egypt increased the pressure after halftime and equalised through Mostafa Zico, who headed home Mohamed Hany’s cross from the right in the 58th minute.
Salah then gave Egypt the lead nine minutes later, breaking forward down the right before exchanging passes with Zico and calmly slotting the ball into the far corner.
The Liverpool star almost scored again in the 81st minute when he cut inside and fired a deflected effort over the crossbar.
However, he soon added an assist from the resulting corner, with substitute Mahmoud Trezeguet diving in at the near post to head home Egypt’s third goal.
New Zealand pushed hard to reduce the deficit, while Hossam Abdelmaguid was forced off late in the match with a suspected concussion after suffering swelling around his eye.
As the game entered 10 minutes of stoppage time, Egyptian supporters loudly urged the referee to blow for full-time.
When the final whistle sounded, a deafening roar erupted around the stadium as Salah and his teammates celebrated the country's first World Cup victory, while coach Hossam Hassan completed a lap of honour carrying an Egyptian flag.
