After going 1-0 down at halftime, Egypt came back to score three goals in the second half and win the match 3-1.
Egypt is currently top of Group G ahead of Belgium, New Zealand, and Iran. Egypt is now on four points with a +2 goal difference.
Their final match in the group stage will be against Iran on June 26 at Seattle Stadium, while New Zealand will play Belgium on June 26 at BC Place, Vancouver.
Egypt needs a point to secure a place in the knockout stage, and a win would see them win the group. New Zealand needs to beat Belgium to have a chance at advancing to the knockout stage.
Who Scored for New Zealand?
New Zealand took the lead in the 15th minute from a corner kick. Tim Payne kicked the corner kick and found Finn Surman, who leaped highest out of anyone in the box and headed the ball past Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir.
It is New Zealand’s third goal of the tournament, the most goals New Zealand has ever scored at a World Cup.
NEW ZEALAND TAKES THE LEAD OVER EGYPT! 🇳🇿
Tim Payne assists Finn Surman off the corner! pic.twitter.com/1bwJDtKPAO— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 22, 2026
Who Scored for Egypt?
After a poor first half, Egypt started strong in the second half, and their equalizer arrived in the 59th minute of the match.
Mohamed Hany sent a perfect cross to Mostafa Ziko, who scored a header in the box and straight at Max Crocombe, who had a hand to the ball but couldn’t stop the header from going into the net.
Mostafa Ziko is left unmarked at the top of the box and heads it home 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/6cX3UM5tRp
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 22, 2026
Egypt kept the pressure on and was struggling to find the final pass to get a goal until Mohamed Salah produced a special play with Ziko.
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
A quick one-two in the box with Ziko led to Salah finishing low in the bottom corner to turnt he score around.
MO SALAH GOOOAAL 🇪🇬
The Egyptian captain's goal gives his team the lead! pic.twitter.com/Ept4fOtca6— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 22, 2026
The third goal arrived from a corner kick as Salah sent a perfect cross to the near post, and substitute Trezeguet heads the ball into the net to make it 3-1.
The winner is the Egyptian attack in the second half, which created multiple chances. It looked inevitable that Egypt was going to score goals in the second half with the number of chances Salah and the rest of the team created.
The disappointment was with the New Zealand team as the first half was very different from the second. New Zealand deserved the 1-0 lead at halftime, and it looked possible that they would get their first-ever World Cup win.
However, in the second half, the team was no longer secure at the back, and their chance creation was reduced.
Player Ratings for New Zealand and Egypt (1-10)
These post-match player ratings from Athlon Sports are based on first-hand analysis while watching the match.
A one (1) is the worst possible score for a player who saw substantial minutes, while a 10 represents a stellar game-changing performance. A five (5) is average based on a player’s role and expected contributions.
New Zealand
- Max Crocombe – 5
- Liberato Cacace – 7
- Michael Boxall – 7
- Finn Surman – 8
- Tim Payne – 7
- Marko Stamenic – 6
- Joe Bell – 6
- Sarpreet Singh – 6
- Elijah Just – 7
- Callum McCowatt – 6
- Chris Wood – 6
Subs: Benjamin Old (5), Ryan Thomas (5), Jesse Randall (5), Francis De Vries (4), Tyler Bindon (5)
Egypt
- Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir – 6
- Ahmed Abou El Fotouh – 6
- Hamdi Fathi – 6
- Yasser Ibrahim – 6
- Mohamed Hany – 7
- Mohanad Lasheen – 6
- Marwan Ateya – 6
- Emam Ashour – 6
- Mohamed Salah – 9 (Man of the Match)
- Mostafa Ziko – 8
- Omar Marmoush – 7
Subs: Rami Rabia (6), Hamza Abdelkarim (5), Trezeguet (7), Hossam Abdelmaguid (4), Zizo (5), Mohamed Abdelmonem (N/A)