Center-back Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the decisive penalty as Egypt won their first-ever World Cup knockout round match, defeating Australia 4-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout on Friday night. The Round of 32 clash had finished 1-1 after extra time.A tactical gamble by Australia coach Tony Popovic backfired completely in the dying seconds of extra time. Popovic subbed off brilliant 22-year-old starting goalkeeper Patrick Beach, who had made spectacular saves to deny Ramy Rabia and Mohamed Salah, to bring on 34-year-old veteran Mathew Ryan for the shootout. However, Ryan failed to stop a single Egyptian spot-kick.Egypt drew first blood early in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour timed his run perfectly to plant a firm header past Beach at the near post. Egypt had multiple chances to double their lead, but forward Omar Marmoush dragged his shot wide in the opening seconds of the second half.Australia fought their way back into the tie in the 55th minute through a bizarre slice of history. Off an Aiden O’Neill free-kick, Egypt defender Mohamed Hany accidentally headed the ball past his own goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir. The error cemented Hany’s place in World Cup infamy as only the second player ever to score two own-goals in a single edition, adding to his mistake against Belgium.Astonishingly, Hany had faced a severe concussion check following a heavy collision just ten minutes prior. Bizarrely, the Socceroos’ only goals in World Cup knockout history have come via opposition own-goals.In the high-pressure shootout, Australia’s Harry Souttar immediately sent his attempt sailing high over the crossbar. While Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil scored for the Socceroos, 18-year-old Lucas Herrington rattled the crossbar with their fourth attempt.Egypt’s penalty takers showed immense composure. Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, and talismanic superstar Mohamed Salah, who braved a hamstring injury to play, all buried their spot-kicks before Abdelmaguid stepped up to calmly drill home the winner. Making their fourth World Cup appearance, the Pharaohs now advance to the Round of 16 on Tuesday in Atlanta, where they will face the winner of the clash between Argentina and Cape Verde.
