Socceroos to face Salah's Egypt in World Cup knockout clash
Tony Popovic's side will meet Mohamed Salah and the Pharaohs at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday July 4 at 4am AEST.
THE Socceroos will face Mohamed Salah's Egypt in the round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup after the Pharaohs clinched second spot in Group G with a dramatic 1-1 draw against Iran on Saturday (AEST).
The teams will meet at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday July 4 at 4am (AEST) in what will be the first time Australia and Egypt have faced off at a World Cup.
It caps a group stage campaign that saw Tony Popovic's side reach the knockout rounds for the third time in the nation's history and the second tournament in a row after their run to the round of 16 in Qatar in 2022.
The Socceroos announced themselves on day one with a stunning 2-0 upset win over Türkiye in Vancouver, with 21-year-old Nestory Irankunda cutting inside in the 27th minute and rifling home a low finish to become Australia's youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer.
Connor Metcalfe sealed the result in the 75th minute with a curling left-foot strike from outside the box that nestled in the bottom corner.
Goalkeeper Patrick Beach was the surprise selection ahead of captain Mathew Ryan but justified coach Popovic's gamble with eight saves in a debut to remember.
The momentum slowed in game two as co-hosts the United States controlled proceedings in a 2-0 win in Seattle, with Cameron Burgess deflecting a Folarin Balogun cross into his own net early in the first half and Alex Freeman heading home a deflected shot before the break.
Popovic drew criticism for benching both Irankunda and Metcalfe for the match, with the pair introduced at half-time to spark a more threatening second half that ultimately came too late.
A nervy, tactical 0-0 draw with Paraguay at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in the final group match was enough to confirm second place and a spot in the knockout rounds.
Australia finished on four points behind the United States on seven, with Paraguay also on four but behind on goal difference.
Türkiye were eliminated after two defeats in their opening matches.
Egypt will present a different challenge.
Led by legendary former striker Hossam Hassan as coach, the Pharaohs reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in their history and won their first-ever World Cup match when they beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver.
Salah scored the go-ahead goal in that match, his 68th international strike that put him within one of coach Hassan's all-time national record.
The Pharaohs drew 1-1 with Belgium in their opener before Iran almost snatched second place from under them in a chaotic finale on Saturday.
Iran's Shoja Khalilzadeh thought he had scored a dramatic 93rd-minute winner that would have knocked Egypt to third, but the goal was ruled out for offside after VAR review.
All eyes heading into the knockout match will be on Salah's fitness after the 34-year-old was substituted in the 57th minute against Iran and had heavy strapping on his left leg.
The former Liverpool star carried a pre-tournament hamstring tear into the World Cup and Egypt will be sweating on whether he can recover in time.
Australia and Egypt have met just twice, with Egypt winning 3-0 in a friendly in Cairo in 2010 and Australia winning 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw in the President's Cup in Seoul in 1987.
The match will be broadcast live and free on SBS and SBS On Demand with coverage from 3am (AEST).