It must have taken Mohamed Salah a long, long time. Back in Vancouver on Sunday night, nine-tenths, or 92 years, was washed away, eight failed attempts, eight years lived overseas and all the suffering afterwards were down the drain with a bucket. Egypt finally broke, against all odds, out of their World Cup rut with a world cup game and it was the man who needed it most who played it.
The Pharaohs ended their frustrating engagement in Group G football at BC Place on Wednesday night, dispatching the whole nation into scenes of pure and unfettered joy, beating New Zealand 3-1 in the game. This was so much more than a football fixture for Salah, who has come through so many challenges on the pitch, off the pitch, and in his heart during the course of his career, all the way up to these China Cup games.
It was personal.It was a far from easy first half. New Zealand, the lowly side from the bottom of the tournament and bottom of the world (last at 84th place) had absolutely nothing to lose and made Egypt very uncomfortable. In the 15th minute Finn Surman took over from the All Whites at a corner and again the familiar darks took hold, for the whole subsequent 45 the front manipulation of the game by the Welsh side began. Salah was subdued. Egypt looked hesitant. The ghosts of the past year, 2018, certainly came alive, from missed opportunities, bench appearances, or fallouts in the dressing room.
The second half however was Egypt’s alone. Mostafa Zico broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, head a fine pass from Mohamed Hany into the far corner past goalkeeper Max Crocombe. The object clearly won the battle and gained Egypt the confidence and the sense of belief was taken away from New Zealand.
But it was then that Salah took over. He and Zico had a quick and crisp volleyed one-two over the head of New Zealand’s defence nine minutes later. Then Salah was put back in possession in space and he remained composed to direct a shot over the cross from left foot into the bottom corner. His fist pumped. His teammates swarmed him.
The Egyptian fans, wearing their red clothes were sure to let loose at BC Place. It was a target that meant so much more than just three points, given all that had happened throughout the past year (neurotz of 2018, qualification help, not even managing a place in the competition back in Qatar last year, even the gossip about the current club turmoil.
Egypt were not done. But with eight minutes of regular time left in the game, Salah took a break in the left side of the lower corner and centre-back Trezeguet, with the substitute, raced to make the deal, pinching down a diving header to put the 3-1 win on the board, which was a memorable result. Egypt were three goals up for 3 goals in World Cup history. The numbers were the story of an amazing night.
The personal highlights were just as impressive for Salah. He was so close to Hossam Hassan’s record of 68 international goals in an 118 appearances for Egypt that he only needed one to overtake his scoring record. His induction at the 85th minute, when he earned a standing ovation on the field, was a testament to the moment, but more to the entire footballing nation that was watching thousands of miles away.
Things are just as promising on the larger scale. With Group G opening the way for the top two teams to reach the quarterfinals, Egypt have four points top of the table. Belgium, who were heavily tipped to be the heavy favorites ahead of the start of the tournament, have only two draws from their first two matchups. One loss in Seattle on Friday will be sufficient to send the Pharaohs into the final 32, and into a World Cup for the first time.
He added that the match will forever remain in history as one of the greatest achievements, “In years to come we shall remember this as one of our great achievements in our history. It’s as if we are playing in Egypt!
Last but not least, Mohamed Salah gets his World Cup moment. Egypt have their first-ever win. But the story doesn’t end there.
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