Egypt captain Mohamed Salah has said he counted on his experience and took a panenka penalty to boost his teammates after converting in their shootout win over Australia to win their first-ever World Cup knockout match. Pharaohs icon Salah sent his shot down the middle as all four Egypt players succeeded with their spot kicks to beat the Socceroos 4-2 in the shootout following a 1-1 draw in Dallas, where Emam Ashour headed Hossam Hassans side in front in the 13th minute but Mohamed Hany scored a 55th-minute own goal.I dont know, Salah confessed to BBC Sport when the forward was asked about his thinking and nerves for the penalty.If somebody was doing it in the game, it would be me. I have more experience than the others and I want to give them confidence. I had to decide at the last minute.Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: What Mohamed Salah told EgyptMohamed Salah: Next World Cup 2026 matchWorld Cup 2026: Egypt team vs ArgentinaWorld Cup 2026: Australia v Egypt statsWorld Cup 2026: What Mohamed Salah told EgyptSalah, who won every major domestic trophy at least once and the Champions League with Liverpool before leaving the club at the end of last season, said he had told Egypts squad to just enjoy the biggest match of their international careers.Dont let the pressure get to you, he added of his advice, offering a measure of sympathy for Australias tough result.I dont know if its my last [World] Cup or not but I had to do it [the panenka penalty]. Argentina will play next [against Cape Verde] in a bit, so we have to respect each team, and well see [which of those sides will be] next.Mohamed Salah: Next World Cup 2026 matchLionel Messis side and the Blue Sharks meet at 23:00 BST on Friday for the right to take on Egypt in the last 16 in Atlanta.Heres when Egypt are next in action and their potential schedule, as well as kick-off times in different territories and live TV coverage details in the UK.DateMatchResultStageTime (BST)ETPTChannelJuly 7Egypt vs Argentina/Cape VerdeRound of 1617:0012:0009:00ITVJuly 12TBCQuarter-finals02:0021:0018:00TBCJuly 15TBCSemi-finals20:0015:0012:00TBCJuly 18TBCThird-placed match22:0017:0014:00TBCJuly 19TBCFinal20:0015:0012:00BBC, ITVWorld Cup 2026: Egypt team vs ArgentinaEgypt made five changes from their 1-1 draw with Iran, bringing in Hafez, Marwan Attia, Yasser Ibrahim, Hamdi Fathy and Marmoush.Wideman Ahmed Fatouh was out with a hamstring tear, as was centre-back Mohamed Abdelmonem with severe ankle bruising.Saber, Trezeguet and the banned Mohanad Lasheen also made way. Salah had been a doubt after being substituted after 57 minutes against Iran with a hamstring injury.Egypt starting XI: Mostafa Shobeir, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Ramy Rabia, Karim Hafez, Emam Ashour, Hamdi Fathy, Marwan Attia, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Salah, Mostafa ZicoEgypt substitutes: Mohamed El Shenawy, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Trezeguet, Hamza Abdelkarim, Haissem Hassan, El Mahdy Soliman, Nabil Emad Dunga, Ibrahim Adel, Mahmoud Saber, Tarek Alaa, Zizo, Mohamed AlaaWorld Cup 2026: Australia v Egypt statsEgypt scored more goals in three-and-a-half matches at this World Cup (six) than they had managed in seven prior games at the finals (five)With an average age of 30 years and 67 days, this was Egypts second-oldest ever World Cup starting side, after their 2018 group stage loss to Saudi Arabia (30y 218d)It was also the oldest by any African side in a knockout gameSalahs side had 70% of the ball during the first 15 minutesHanys own goal ensured this tournament has witnessed the most own goals ever during a single World CupAustralias preceding stalemate with Paraguay was their first 0-0 draw at the tournament since an encounter with Chile in 1974A return of two goals during the 2026 group stage equalled Australias fewest during a World Cup group stage since not scoring any in 1974Jackson Irvine (11 appearances) is the third player to reach 10 games for the Australia at the tournament, after Leckie (11) and Mathew Ryan (10)This was the first time Egypt had reached the knockout rounds after playing in a group stageSabers goal after four minutes and 26 seconds against Iran was Egypts fastest in their World Cup historyMostafa Shobeir is the second Egypt goalkeeper to save a penalty in a World Cup match, after Essam El Hadary, who did so against Saudi Arabia in 2018Salah is the first Egypt player to make at least five World Cup starts (now on 6), although the time the forward played against Iran represented his fewest by 19 minutes in a World Cup match Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Australia Men's National Soccer Team Egypt national football team FIFA World Cup Mohamed Salah World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026 live: Lionel Messi returns for Argentina vs Cape Verde as teams and full line ups are confirmed, TV channel, live online stream and stats Ben Miller 3rd July, 2026 Australia v Egypt: World Cup 2026 live text commentary, updates, goals and stats as it happened Jon Fisher 3rd July, 2026 World Cup 2026: Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4 on penalties) report, result, goals as Mohamed Salah dodges Lionel Messi question after scoring in shootout Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026 BREAKING: Englands World Cup clash with Mexico set for earlier start on Sunday Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026 Ashour puts Egypt ahead in World Cup clash with Australia Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026 Australia vs Egypt: Line-ups confirmed for World Cup Round of 32 clash Mitch Fretton 3rd July, 2026
