Australia's goalkeeper substitution backfires as Egypt secures historic World Cup victory
Egypt defeated Australia in a penalty shootout to claim a historic World Cup win. Australia's decision to change goalkeepers at the end of extra time proved costly.
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Egypt's national football team secured a historic World Cup victory on Saturday, defeating Australia in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time. No goals were scored in extra time, leading to a shootout to decide the winner.
Australia made a goalkeeper substitution in the 119th minute, bringing on Matthew Rajan to replace Patrick Beach. This decision backfired as the first Australian taker, Harry Souttar, missed by shooting over the bar, while Egypt converted their attempts to secure the win.
The opening goal came in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour set up Karim Hafez, who scored from close range. Australia equalized in the 55th minute when a free kick deflected off Egyptian defender Mohamed Hani into his own goal.
In stoppage time of the second half, Egypt had a chance to win, but Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach saved a header from Rami Rabia. Extra time saw both teams fail to convert opportunities.
In the shootout, after Souttar's miss, Mahmoud Saber calmly scored. Jackson Irvine leveled for Australia, but Rami Rabia's successful penalty restored Egypt's lead, which proved decisive.
