Salah’s Panenka Sends Egypt Into World Cup Last 16 After Shoot-out Win Over Australia

ARLINGTON, United States — Mohamed Salah said he chose only at the final moment to lift his penalty down the middle, delivering under intense pressure as Egypt booked a place in the World Cup last 16 on Friday.

The ex-Liverpool star, who captains Egypt, took his country’s third kick in the shoot-out and converted with a Panenka as the Africans defeated Australia 4-2 on penalties after the match finished 1-1 in Texas.

That result gave Egypt their first-ever victory in a World Cup knockout match, and their next opponents will be Lionel Messi’s Argentina or Cape Verde.

Salah, now 34, was visibly limited by a hamstring strain but still stayed on for the full 120 minutes before taking responsibility when Egypt needed him most. “If somebody was going to do it, it would be me. I am more experienced than others and I wanted to give them confidence,” said Salah, who appeared emotional after the game. “I decided last minute, I had to do it.”

Salah described the moment as “history” for Egypt and urged his teammates to savour it after a nation often seen as one of African football’s big underachievers finally made an impact on the sport’s biggest platform.

With the possibility that this could be his final World Cup, Salah said: “I always try to enjoy every moment because it does not come back. “So I always tell the boys, ‘just enjoy the moment’, and probably we’ll see tonight in a few minutes how we’re going to celebrate outside the bus now. “But we can’t take it for granted because Egypt — I don’t know how many times I’ve said the word — but it’s never before we qualified in a group stage and never qualified for the next round, so it’s just a moment to enjoy.”

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan had said on Thursday that he was “not sure” whether his key man would be fit enough to start. Even so, Hassan included him in the starting line-up, alongside Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush.

Beyond his successful penalty in the shoot-out, Salah has produced one goal and two assists so far at the North American tournament, and he averages a goal every other game for Egypt.