The Socceroos are out of the World Cup. Egypt won their round-of-32 tie 4-2 on penalties at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday morning AEST after 120 minutes ended 1-1, the first penalty shootout Australia has faced at a World Cup, and a third knockout defeat from three.
Emam Ashour headed Egypt in front from a free-kick cross in the 13th minute. Australia's equaliser arrived 10 minutes into the second half with some luck attached: Aiden O'Neill's inswinging free kick was turned into his own net by Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany in the 55th. Neither side scored again through half an hour of extra time.
The shootout swung early. Harry Souttar put Australia's first penalty over the bar, and though Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil both converted, 18-year-old Lucas Herrington missed Australia's fourth. Egypt made no mistake at all: Mohamed Salah chipped his down the middle, and Hossam Abdelmaguid buried the winner.
The man facing those penalties was a story in itself. Coach Tony Popovic sent veteran Mathew Ryan on for starting goalkeeper Patrick Beach late in the match with the shootout looming. "I think that was always an option for us and then you have to see how the game progresses," Popovic said. Ryan did not save any of Egypt's four kicks.
“It's tough. I think we've showed the world that Australian football is strong," Popovic said after the match. "Wonderful group, but it's devastating for them that we can't progress." Herrington fronted up too. "I made them [penalties] during the week, I was confident ... And unfortunately I missed, but it's part of the game," he said. "I'm 18, I've got a lot of career left.”
Australia had reached the knockouts by finishing second in Group D, with a 2-0 win over Türkiye, a 2-0 loss to the United States and a 0-0 draw with Paraguay. The defeat leaves the Socceroos without a win from three World Cup knockout matches across two decades: Italy beat them in the round of 16 in 2006, Argentina in 2022, and both went on to lift the trophy.
For Egypt, it was the country's first knockout win at a World Cup, and the reward is Argentina, the reigning champions, in Atlanta on Tuesday. "I'm happy that we wrote history today," Salah said. The Socceroos fly home with a group-stage win, a hard-earned point against Paraguay, and the same wall they have been hitting since 2006 still standing.
