Tonight, Mo Salah has the opportunity to equal Hossam Hassan’s Egyptian record of 69 international goals if he finds the net. The 34-year-old captain has amassed 119 appearances for the Pharaohs, while Hassan achieved his tally in 177 matches. Speaking of the Egyptian coach, an insightful piece explores his close relationship with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, whose military background has deeply influenced various facets of Egyptian life, including football.
For the Australian side, Coach Tony Popovic has opted for the same starting lineup as in their previous match against Paraguay. Leading the offensive charge is Nestory Irankunda, while Jordan Bos retains his position as the right wing-back.
Egypt, on the other hand, has made five adjustments from their last game, a 1-1 draw against Iran. Notably, Salah has overcome hamstring issues to feature in the lineup alongside Omar Marmoush. The defensive unit will see Yasser Ibrahim and Karim Hafez join, along with midfielders Hamdy Fathy and Marwan Attia. In contrast, Trézéguet and Mahmoud Saber will start on the bench, while Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ahmed Fatouh, and Mohanad Lasheen have been excluded from the squad.
Australia’s Lineup:Beach, Circati, Souttar, Herrington, Bos, O’Neill, Irvine, Behich, Volpato, Metcalfe, Irankunda.Substitutes:Ryan, Izzo, Degenek, Geria, Toure, Hrustic, Mabil, Devlin, Trewin, Burgess, Velupillay, Okon-Engstler, Yengi.
Egypt’s Lineup:Shobeir, Hany, Rabia, Ibrahim, Hafez, Fathi, Attia, Ashour, Salah, Ziko, Marmoush.Substitutes:El Shenawy, Soliman, Mohamed Alaa, Abdelmaguid, Trezeguet, Abdelkarim, Hassan, Emad, Adel, Saber, Tarek Alaa, Zizo.
Refereeing the match is Gustavo Tejera from Uruguay.
This match marks the first competitive encounter between these two nations, having previously met in a friendly in Cairo back in 2010, where Egypt emerged victorious with a 3-0 scoreline. Notable contributors to that win included Gedo, who had scored the decisive goal in the Africa Cup of Nations final earlier that year, and Mohamed Zidan, who provided the assist.
Egypt’s journey out of Group G was marked by resilience, remaining undefeated but narrowly avoiding defeat against Iran towards the end of the group stage.
Australia’s path through Group D was less glamorous, highlighted by a 2-0 victory over a struggling Turkey, a 2-0 defeat to the USA, and a goalless stalemate against Paraguay. Nevertheless, they successfully advanced.
Historically, Australia has reached the knockout stage of the World Cup twice, in 2006 and 2022, but faced elimination in the first round of the knockout phase both times against eventual champions, Italy and Argentina, respectively. This time around, however, the Socceroos aim to break that trend, while Egypt seeks to capitalize on the presence of Mo Salah for what could be a significant moment in their footballing history.
With one of these teams poised to achieve their first-ever World Cup knockout victory, the stakes are high. The winner will likely face reigning champions Argentina in the next round. Kick-off for this thrilling encounter is set for 1 PM local time, 2 PM EDT, 7 PM BST, and 4 AM AEST. Let the game begin!
