Egypt’s 92-year wait for a World Cup victory ended in Vancouver on Sunday night, as a second-half surge overturned an early New Zealand lead to deliver a 3-1 win at BC Place. The result, celebrated wildly by a heavily Egyptian crowd that made the stadium feel, in Salah’s words, “like we are playing in Egypt,” lifts the Pharaohs to the top of Group G and places them on the brink of a first-ever knockout-round appearance.

The match pivoted on a 24-minute spell after the interval. New Zealand had taken a 15th-minute lead when Finn Surman powered a header from Tim Payne’s corner past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, and the All Whites held that advantage until the 58th minute. Egypt’s equaliser came from Mostafa Zico — a late call-up who had been preparing for a holiday on Egypt’s north coast — steering a Mohamed Hany cross into the net with his head. Nine minutes later, Salah exchanged a one-two with Zico on the right, cut inside and curled a left-footed finish into the far corner for his 68th international goal. He then delivered the corner from which substitute Trezeguet dived to head home the third in the 82nd minute, sealing a victory that Salah called “one of the achievements in history.”

For a nation that first appeared at the World Cup in 1934 and had since recorded only two draws and five defeats across three tournaments, the significance extends far beyond three points. Arab and African media have framed the night as the closing of a painful chapter: Egypt had been the first African team to compete at a World Cup, yet had never won a match, a record that had long sat uneasily alongside seven Africa Cup of Nations titles. Coach Hossam Hassan, himself the country’s all-time leading scorer, told reporters he had demanded at half-time that his players draw confidence from the support in the stands and “shape their own future.”

Egypt now sit on four points, two clear of Iran and Belgium after their goalless draw earlier in the day. New Zealand remain bottom with one point. The Pharaohs face Iran in Seattle on Friday knowing a draw will guarantee progress to the Round of 32; even a defeat could suffice depending on other results. New Zealand must beat Belgium to keep their hopes alive. For Egypt, the victory not only rewrites a long record of World Cup frustration but also opens a realistic path to the knockout stage for the first time.