Tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered at the fan zone in the New Capital at 4am on Monday and countless more later stormed the streets of Cairo to celebrate Egypt’s first-ever World Cup victory.
Goals from Mostafa Zico, Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Trezeguet earned the Pharaohs a historic 3-1 win over New Zealand, which sent Egypt to the top of Group G ahead of their final group game against Iran, scheduled for Friday June 26 in Seattle.
New record for Salah
Salah eclipsed his compatriot Abdelrahman Fawzy and became Egypt’s top goalscorer in World Cup history by netting his third, and also became the first Egyptian to score in two different World Cups.
The Egypt captain, who now has three goals and two assists across the four World Cup games he has contested in 2018 and 2026, joined his teammates in nonstop celebrations after the win, dancing and singing from the locker room to the team bus to the hotel.
“What happened today is history, for us as Egyptians,” Salah told reporters in the mixed zone at BC Place in Vancouver. “It seems to other teams, it’s OK, it’s fine, you see a lot of teams win games. But for us Egyptians it doesn’t happen often; it’s the first time in history and I’m lucky enough to call it this way, hopefully it’s not selfish, but we qualified twice in the last 30, 40 years, I was lucky to play the two times and to score in the two tournaments.”
Salah told his teammates in the huddle ahead of the game that they had a chance to make history and achieve something that would be remembered for years to come.
The 34-year-old knows all too well what it’s like to pull off unprecedented feats. And, although he tried to divert attention from his own accomplishments when asked about them after the game, he eventually shared what it meant to him to help guide the Pharaohs to a first World Cup victory, 92 years after Egypt made their competition debut.
“I don’t want to make this just about Mohamed Salah, all the players put in so much effort, all the players did well. We gave a spirited performance and I’m very happy today for Trezeguet and Zico that they scored as well,” said Salah.
“Personally, for me, to be the top goalscorer in Egypt’s World Cup history is a huge honour. To be part of Egypt’s first ever win and to be [named] the best player is something I’m very proud of.
“Egyptians know more than anyone else how hard I work on myself and how much effort I’ve put in to reach where I am. Thank God, I feel lucky that I am experiencing a moment in time that as Egyptians we’ll later look back on and talk about and say that it was a period where an Egyptian player came out and made us live through a good period. I hope players like Hamza [Abdelkarim] and Omar [Marmoush] and all the up-and-coming players – I don’t want to forget anyone – can do the same. I’m so happy with the time I spent with the national team and I’m very happy with my achievements.”
Zico ‘the happiest man in the world’
Pyramids winger Mostafa Zico was on vacation in Egypt’s North Coast when he received a surprise call-up by coach Hossam Hassan last month.
At 29, he has proven to be a revelation, as he immediately repaid Hassan for believing in him by scoring in three of the four games he has played with Egypt since – against Russia and Brazil in friendly games before his equaliser against New Zealand in the World Cup.
His no-look backheel assist for Salah on Sunday was the cherry on top of a very sizable cake. “I’m the happiest man in the world right now. I don’t think anyone is happier than me during the moments I’m living right now,” Zico said after the win.
“I’m someone who was very far from the national team, it was never part of my plans. Captain Hossam brought me from the North Coast, I was going on my summer vacation and suddenly I find myself in the World Cup and part of the national team.
“From the very first minute until now he has been giving me so much confidence. He really trusts me and from the first day he told me, ‘I trust you and you’re not here by coincidence’.
“I thank God that I haven’t let him down for a single second and we’re not done yet. We haven’t done anything yet. We want to go much further than this.”
Zico, who typically plays on the left wing at Pyramids, started the New Zealand game on the right before Hassan eventually moved him to a more central position early in the second half.
“I’m good at pressuring defenders and thankfully I was able to do that well. And then, in the box, I am the best in Egypt, I score goals,” he confidently added with a grin.
Trezeguet takes his chance
Zico was not the only one to capitalise on his opportunities on Sunday. Trezeguet got his first minutes of this World Cup when he came on for Marmoush in the 76th minute and the Al Ahly winger scored six minutes later.
While there may have been speculation among fans and pundits that some players were feeling upset about being benched or getting subbed off, the collective performances from the Egyptian players against New Zealand strongly indicate that things are going smoothly within the Pharaohs’ camp and that each individual is ready to bring his best when called upon by Hassan.
“This group has great chemistry,” Egypt and Al Ahly legend Mohamed Aboutrika said on Bein Sports.
“Hassan chose the players that are most suited for the job, not necessarily the best for the job, but the most suited, because they will all be together for a long time and chemistry is what really matters in these type of lengthy camps. It’s also why you’ll see that the performance will keep getting better with each game because the team spirit gets stronger.”
Meanwhile, Mostafa Shobeir had another excellent game in goal, making four crucial saves against New Zealand that stopped the All Whites from getting back in the contest.
Mohamed Hany was the unsung hero of the day as he provided the perfect cross for Zico, who headed home to tie the game in the 58th minute.
What’s next?
Egypt head back to Spokane, Washington, where they have been based, training at Gonzaga University, before they fly to Seattle for their game against Iran.
The North Africans need just one point to secure their spot in the knockout stages and could potentially win the group with victory over the Iranians.
