Mohamed Salah’s – and Egypt’s – World Cup wait is finally over.
The Egyptian King’s match-winning second-half display against New Zealand helped the Pharaohs to their first-ever World Cup win, at their ninth attempt, and leaves them on the brink of qualifying for the last 32.
Salah’s 67th-minute goal gave Egypt the lead – after they recovered from a shock early New Zealand opener – before his corner was headed home by Trezeguet to seal the historic 3-1 win.
Salah had made a slow start to the tournament, with an ineffectual display in their opening draw with Belgium followed up by a quiet opening half against the Kiwis.
But, just when it looked like his own World Cup nightmares were about to continue, the 34-year-old became the latest superstar to make his mark on the tournament, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
After a forgettable World Cup campaign in 2018 and failure to qualify four years later in Qatar, Egypt’s greatest player has finally had his moment on the biggest stage.
And he will know a point against Iran will see his country through to the next round – and they may not even need that.
Salah said: “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.”
Bust-ups, injuries and defeats
Salah’s club future remains uncertain after a forgettable final campaign at Liverpool, which saw him fall out with then manager Arne Slot before announcing he was leaving this summer.
He has been linked with various clubs across the world but was determined to focus on his country’s World Cup campaign first in a bid to put right the wrongs of the past.
In 2018, Salah faced a race against time to make the World Cup because of injury and, despite making the squad, had to settle for a place on the bench in their opening defeat to Uruguay.
His converted penalty was then merely a consolation in a 3-1 loss to hosts Russia before he missed a sitter as Egypt suffered a humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia.
The fallout to that World Cup failure was huge, with Salah accusing Egypt’s FA of disrupting preparations and reports he was close to quitting international football.
Things didn’t get better as four years later they failed to qualify for Qatar and – after 45 minutes on Sunday – it looked like Salah’s World Cup misery was set to continue.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan even had to speak out before the match to deny any fall out with Salah – after substituting him during the draw with Belgium.
But, just when it looked like the Iran match could be the last-chance saloon, Salah took matters into his hands to spark wild celebrations among Egypt fans across the world.
‘Salah stood up for his country’
Salah may have been a superstar at Liverpool. He is on an even higher plane in Egypt.
With every touch comes loud cheers from his country’s fans, with huge pressure on his shoulders on every appearance.
Sunday’s goal was his 68th for his country in 118 appearances, leaving him just one shy of manager Hassan’s all-time goal scoring record, and some will say it’s his most important yet as Egypt finally ended a 92-year wait for a World Cup win.
No player has been involved in more shots during a game at this World Cup than Salah was against New Zealand – having five shots himself and creating five more for others.
Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, told ITV: “If there was any doubt about Mo’s impact on this team, you can still see it.
“It will give them enormous belief. They had to deal with adversity and their big player stood up and that will give them big confidence. You need your big players to perform to progress.”
Former Jamaica winger Jobi McAnuff added: “Just when he was needed, Mo Salah stood up for his country.”
Salah has played for the senior national team for 14 years and his importance to Egypt is such that high-ranking government officials have been known to get involved when he has been injured.
“I even had calls from Egypt’s Minister of Health,” recalls Dr Mohamed Aboud, the national team’s medic, about the time Salah sustained a serious shoulder injury in Liverpool’s defeat by Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, leading to speculation he could miss the World Cup in Russia a few weeks later.
But, despite helping Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2019-20 and 2024-25, the player has yet to lift a trophy for his country.
The generation before Salah won three Africa Cup of Nations titles in a row between 2006 and 2010. Since then, there have been two defeats in finals, against Cameroon in 2017 and Senegal in the 2021 edition, which took place in early 2022.
