Egypt roar back from one down to sink New Zealand and seize control of Group G

Egypt produced a stirring second-half display to beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver, claiming the country’s first-ever FIFA World Cup victory and putting themselves in pole position to reach the knockout stage.

The evening began badly for the Pharaohs. New Zealand made the brighter start and stunned their opponents in the 15th minute when Finn Surman rose highest from a corner to power a header beyond the Egyptian goalkeeper. The All Whites defended with discipline after taking the lead, frustrating Egypt for much of the opening half and carrying their advantage into the break. Whatever was said in the Egyptian dressing room worked.

Egypt emerged with far greater urgency after halftime, pinning New Zealand deep inside their own half. The pressure finally paid off in the 58th minute when Mostafa Zico found space in the box to head home the equaliser.

Nine minutes later, Mohamed Salah combined brilliantly with Zico before calmly finishing to complete the comeback and send the Egyptian supporters into wild celebrations.

New Zealand struggled to recover as Egypt continued to dictate the pace. The result was put beyond doubt in the 81st minute when Salah’s corner found Mahmoud Trezeguet, who glanced a header into the net to cap an outstanding second-half turnaround.

Salah once again proved to be the difference, scoring once and providing an assist, while Zico also delivered a goal and an assist in a performance that transformed the contest after the interval. Egypt’s victory lifted them to the top of Group G with four points ahead of their decisive meeting with Iran, while New Zealand were left needing a result against Belgium to keep their hopes alive.