Egypt made history by reaching the World Cup round of 16 for the first time, defeating Australia in a penalty shootout on 3/7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, US. Their victory was attributed to a strategic move: studying Kylian Mbappe's previous penalty kicks against Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan to understand his habits.

The match saw Egypt take the lead through Emam Ashour, only for Australia to equalize with an own goal by Mohamed Hany, making the score 1-1. This result pushed the game into extra time and then a penalty shootout. In the 119th minute, Australia's coach Tony Popovic substituted goalkeeper Patrick Beach with Mathew Ryan, a move specifically for the impending shootout.

Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan replaced Patrick Beach during Australia's loss to Egypt in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, US on 3/7/2026. Photo: AP

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, statistics somewhat supported Australia's decision. Beach had a penalty save success rate of only 12.5%, meaning he saved one out of 8 penalty kicks faced. In contrast, Ryan's rate was about 23%, having made 12 saves from 51 kicks.

However, Egypt demonstrated thorough preparation, immediately adapting to the change. Before the shootout, the Egyptian players gathered in a circle to watch a video of Kylian Mbappe successfully converting a penalty against Ryan while playing for Levante during the 2025-2026 season. Their goal was to study the Australian goalkeeper's movements, and they seemingly discovered Ryan's tendency to move early to anticipate shots.

Egyptian players study Mbappe's penalty kick. Screenshot

During the penalty shootout, Ryan failed to save any kicks, only guessing the correct direction for Mahmoud Saber's first shot. Meanwhile, two Australian players missed their penalties, with Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington both shooting over the bar. This resulted in a 4-2 victory for Egypt, securing their historic advancement to the World Cup round of 16.

After the match, Popovic conceded that the substitution did not yield the desired outcome, but expressed no regrets, stating it was a pre-planned strategy. The 52-year-old coach explained that bringing Ryan on late in extra time was to maximize their final substitution. "If we had won, no one would be surprised or question the goalkeeper change. The decision to use Ryan was not made during the game; he was always an option we had considered," he said.

Salah scores a panenka penalty against Ryan. Photo: Reuters

On Egypt's side, Mohamed Salah drew attention with a panenka-style penalty kick in the third round. After the game, the former Liverpool and Chelsea forward revealed he made the decision to attempt the risky kick right before taking it. "I don't even know what I was thinking," he said. "If anyone dares to try that kind of kick in a game, it's probably me. I have more experience than my teammates and wanted to instill confidence in them. I decided at the last minute. I don't know if this is my last World Cup, but I felt I had to do it."

This victory marks a significant milestone for Egypt in the World Cup. In their three previous appearances in 1934, 1990, and 2018, the African representatives were eliminated in the group stage.

"This is history," Salah emphasized. "I told my teammates this is the biggest stage they could play on in their careers, so enjoy it and don't let pressure dictate. I feel sorry for Australia, but I am even happier that Egypt has made history."

Hong Duy (based on Marca, Globo)