Egypt made history on Sunday night by recording their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory, defeating New Zealand 3-1 in a dramatic Group G encounter in Vancouver.
The Pharaohs came from behind after Finn Surman gave New Zealand a first-half lead, with Mostafa Zico restoring parity early in the second half.
Captain Mohamed Salah then took centre stage, combining brilliantly with Zico before curling home Egypt’s second goal to put his side ahead.
The Liverpool star later provided an assist from a corner kick for Mahmoud Trezeguet to head in the third goal and seal a famous victory for the North Africans.
The result propelled Egypt to the top of Group G with four points and strengthened their hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
Meanwhile, Belgium and Iran shared the spoils in a tense goalless draw played in Los Angeles.
Belgium were reduced to 10 men after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for denying Mehdi Taremi a clear scoring opportunity, but Iran failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage.
Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand emerged the hero of the encounter, producing a string of fine saves to frustrate the Red Devils and preserve a valuable point for his side.
The draw left both Belgium and Iran on two points ahead of their decisive final group matches against New Zealand and Egypt, respectively.
With Egypt and Iran set to clash in their last Group G fixture, qualification to the Round of 32 remains wide open.
