Egypt turned a halftime deficit into a convincing 3-1 victory over New Zealand on June 22 at BC Place in Vancouver, delivering one of the most dramatic comebacks of the 2026 World Cup so far. The Group G clash saw the Pharaohs trail for 43 minutes before exploding with three unanswered second-half goals.
How Egypt flipped the script in Vancouver
New Zealand struck first through Finn Surman in the 15th minute, silencing a heavily pro-Egypt crowd. The All Whites held that lead through halftime, and for 45 minutes it looked like a genuine upset was brewing against the higher-ranked Egyptians.
Mostafa Ziko pulled Egypt level in the 58th minute, breaking the New Zealand defensive structure that had held firm for most of the match. Nine minutes later, captain Mohamed Salah found the net to put Egypt ahead 2-1 in the 67th minute.
Mahmoud Trezeguet put an exclamation point on the comeback in the 82nd minute, sealing the 3-1 scoreline. Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan had dismissed pre-match speculation about any rift between himself and Salah, and the captain’s performance on the pitch made the conversation look silly in hindsight.
