Salah inspires Egypt to beat New Zealand 3-1 for historic World Cup win

Slack defending saw the Egyptians go behind early, only to overcome the deficit as the game went on

FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group G - New Zealand v Egypt - BC Place, Vancouver, Canada - Jun 21, 2026 Egypt's Mostafa Zico celebrates their second goal, scored by Mohamed Salah REUTERS/Albert Gea

Mohamed Salah led Egypt to their first-ever World Cup victory as they recovered to beat New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday, moving top of Group G and boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

Egypt, pre-match favourites with Salah and Omar Marmoush spearheading the attack, were backed by a vocal crowd at BC Place. However, slack defending cost them early as New Zealand defender Finn Surman rose to power home a 15th-minute header from Tim Payne's corner, silencing the sea of red.

Mostafa Zizo met Mohamed Hany's cross in the 58th minute to head home the equaliser. Nine minutes later, Zizo combined with Salah in a quick one-two before the Egypt captain bent in a powerful left-footed finish, and Trezeguet added a third with a superb header from Salah's outswinging corner.

Egypt, who drew 1-1 with Belgium in their opener, moved top of the group with four points from two matches. The All Whites, held 2-2 by Iran in their opener, are bottom with one point.