Egypt have clinched their first-ever World Cup win, fighting back to beat New Zealand 3-1 thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, pictured, Mostafa Zico and Trezeguet. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Egypt earned the first Fifa World Cup win in their history by beating New Zealand 3-1 on Monday morning, putting them on track to reach the knockout round for the first time.
Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Zico and Trezeguet were Egypt's scorers after Finn Surman had given New Zealand the lead after 15 minutes of the Group G match in Vancouver. The victory puts Egypt top of Group G on four points and needing just a draw against Iran in Seattle on Friday to move into the last 32.
Salah's goal came after he exchanged passes with Zico — named after the Brazilian legend — and then curled in a shot with his left foot in the 67th minute. Salah then provided the assist for substitute Trezeguet — who himself is named after former France forward David Trezeguet — to make the game safe with a low header.
"In years to come we will remember that this was one of the achievements in history," Salah said.
He praised the large Egyptian contingent in the crowd, saying: "It feels like we are playing in Egypt. It's a great win and great vibe."
Egypt had trailed the Kiwis, who opened the scoring through Surman's towering header after 15 minutes. But Zico equalised when he headed in a cross from Mohamed Hany.
Elsewhere, coach Amir Ghalenoei hailed Iran's unbeaten start to the World Cup as a "great achievement" that will be remembered by future generations, following a 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday night.
Having arrived at the tournament under the shadow of war between Tehran and Washington, Iran have drawn both their opening games, and remain in with a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time.
Ghalenoei praised his players for holding Belgium, ranked 10th in the world, to a stalemate in Los Angeles, despite facing the strain of considerable visa and travel restrictions in the US.
"This is a great achievement. We've had two games without losing in the World Cup, with the conditions that we've had," he said.
"We had less than 16 hours to get to do training before the game," he said, after his team were not permitted to travel early to the US from their base camp in Mexico. "This is a great achievement, and it will be written about in the history of our football, and future generations will talk about this."
Before the game, the Iran anthem was booed by members of Los Angeles' extensive Persian exile community, who oppose the country's hardline regime. But the team itself was vocally supported by a majority of the packed stadium.
"I want to thank all the Iranians, with different attitudes regarding politics. They supported us, and they gave us energy," said Ghalenoei.
Ghalenoei said that despite Belgium having Nathan Ngoy sent off in the 66th minute, Iran were "lucky not to lose" given the strength of the opposition.
"I don't think any team in the world could have really sustained with such conditions, and played like this — the conditions have been extremely hard for us," he said. "Our players are really giving everything, they are playing with their heart." | AFP