Egypt moved to the brink of the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 after coming from behind to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in a Group G clash at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.
The victory handed the Pharaohs their first win of the tournament and lifted them to the top of the group standings ahead of their final group-stage fixture against Iran.
New Zealand made the brighter start and deservedly took the lead in the 15th minute. Tim Payne’s corner found Finn Surman, who rose above the Egyptian defence to power a header past goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir.
The All Whites nearly extended their advantage through Elijah Just and Callum McCowatt, but Egypt survived the pressure and gradually found their rhythm before the break.
Despite trailing at halftime, the Pharaohs returned with renewed intensity in the second half and quickly seized control of the contest.
Their improvement paid off in the 58th minute when Mohamed Hany delivered a cross into the box and Mostafa Ziko headed beyond Max Crocombe to restore parity.
Egypt continued to dominate after the equaliser and completed the turnaround nine minutes later.
Ziko combined brilliantly with captain Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area before the forward produced a composed finish to put the seven-time African champions ahead.
With New Zealand struggling to regain momentum, Egypt sealed the victory eight minutes from time.
Salah turned provider once again, delivering a corner that was headed home by substitute Trézéguet to complete a remarkable comeback.
The result extended Egypt’s unbeaten head-to-head record against New Zealand to four matches and placed them in pole position to reach the Round of 32.
Egypt will face Iran in their final Group G fixture, while New Zealand must beat Belgium to keep their qualification hopes alive.
