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Elated Salah breaks silence after Egypt’s maiden win at World Cup games
22nd June, 2026 09:10 AM
Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah hailed his team’s first-ever win on the World Cup stage after the Pharaohs thrashed New Zealand 3-1 on Monday, June 22, 2026, to ascend to the top of Group G and be on the cusp of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
The historic feat was celebrated wildly in the Egyptian locker room, with players and technical bench members bursting into song and dance after the final whistle in Vancouver, Canada.
Make Egyptians happy
“It is a great feeling for all of us and a huge achievement. We wanted to make our people back home in Egypt happy, and we have done it. We battled to give our best,” Salah said.
“I can only promise them that we are determined to do our best against these tough teams. We are now at the top of the group after playing against difficult opponents in a tough group. We just need to celebrate this win for a bit, then see how we prepare for the last games.”
After going down to the All Whites through Marko Stamenić’s 15th-minute header, Salah inspired the African giants’ fightback toward the historic milestone.
The skipper scored in the 66th minute to turn the tie on its head, just seven minutes after Mostafa Zico had leveled matters with a well-taken header from a cross.
Mahmoud Trézéguet stepped off the substitutes’ bench to round off the scoring and seal a superb comeback for the Pharaohs, sending them to the top of Group G ahead of their final group clash against Iran.
Belgium struggles
Meanwhile, Belgium, which drew Hossam Hassan’s side in their opener, failed to win their second successive game against Iran.
The Red Devils left to contend with another dropped point in their second Group G match on Sunday, June 21, 2026, after a ten-man team ended their encounter against Iran in a 0-0 draw.
Striker Romelu Lukaku, however, downplayed the cause for alarm as he rallied his teammates to seize their moment with the final group assignment.
“We have to stay with the emotions, stay calm, and keep our composure,” striker Romelu Lukaku said to FIFA. “That is something that we have to improve on. I think the players know that as well.”
“It is a World Cup; it’s the biggest tournament, the biggest stage. We don’t want to go home. We want to go as far as possible and we want to put ourselves in the greatest position. Let’s go for it,’ he explained.
