Mohamed Salah has revealed he made a last-minute decision to take a Panenka penalty during Egypt’s dramatic FIFA World Cup Round of 32 victory over Australia, saying he wanted to give his teammates confidence on the biggest stage.
The Egypt captain produced the audacious finish during a tense penalty shoot-out as the Pharaohs secured a historic victory after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes in Dallas.
The seven-time African champions prevailed in the shoot-out to record their first-ever World Cup knockout victory and advance to the Round of 16, where they will face Argentina.
With the shoot-out finely poised at 2-2 and Australia having already missed their opening penalty, Salah stepped forward to take Egypt’s third spot-kick.
Rather than aiming for either corner, the 33-year-old calmly chipped the ball down the middle, deceiving substitute goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who had been brought on specifically for the penalty shoot-out.
Hossam Abdelmaguid then converted Egypt’s fourth penalty to seal the victory and send the North Africans into the last 16 for the first time.
After the match, Salah explained that his decision to attempt the Panenka came only moments before taking the kick.
“If somebody was going to do it, it would be me,” he said.
“I am more experienced than others, and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided at the last minute. I don’t know if it’s my last World Cup or not, but I had to do it.”
Although Salah was unable to find the net during normal or extra time, he remained influential throughout the contest, creating five chances as Egypt overcame Australia in one of the most significant victories in the country’s football history.
The former Liverpool forward described the result as a landmark achievement for Egyptian football and urged his teammates to embrace the occasion before the match.
“It’s history,” Salah said.
“I told the guys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on, so enjoy it and don’t let the pressure get to you.
“I’m glad that we managed to win the game. Bad luck for them, they lost on penalties. But I’m happy that we wrote history today.”
Egypt’s victory keeps alive their hopes of a memorable World Cup campaign and sets up one of the standout ties of the Round of 16.
The Pharaohs will now face Argentina after the South American side survived a major scare before overcoming Cabo Verde in their own Round of 32 encounter.
The meeting will pit Salah against Lionel Messi in a high-profile knockout clash, with a place in the World Cup quarter-finals at stake.
