Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan paid emotional tribute to the Palestinian people after leading his team to the milestone FIFA World Cup achievement, raising the Palestinian flag moments after the Pharaohs secured a dramatic Round 32 victory over Australia.Egypt booked their place in the last 16 for the first time in FIFA World Cup history after beating Australia 4-2 in stoppage time following a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Dallas on Friday (local time). As the celebrations went on, Hassan was seen holding the Palestinian flag before dedicating the historic victory to both Egypt and Palestine.Speaking after the game, Hassan expressed his support for the Palestinians, saying: “My heart and soul are with them”, before praying that “God have mercy on their martyrs”.He added: “I dedicate this victory to the Egyptian people and to the good and generous Palestinian people.”The victory marked a historic milestone for Egypt, who progressed beyond the first knockout round of the FIFA World Cup for the first time.Australia threatened early on and Cristian Volpato rattled the crossbar from distance inside the opening five minutes before Jordan Bos was denied by Rami Rabia’s timely intervention.Egypt retaliated by taking the lead in the 13th minute. Karim Hafez sent in an inviting cross from the left and Emam Ashour met it with a diving header that beat goalkeeper Patrick Beach at the far post.The Pharaohs enjoyed the better of the first half, but Australia equalized shortly after the restart when Mohamed Hany accidentally deflected a dangerous free kick into his own net.Both teams created opportunities to win before penalties. Beach produced a superb one-handed save to deny Rabi’s powerful header, while Harry Souttar produced a crucial block to prevent Haisem Hassan restoring Egypt’s lead. Mohamed Salah also came close but fired wide from a promising position during extra time.A shootout eventually settled the contest. Souttar hit Australia’s first penalty over the bar, allowing Egypt to take the initiative. Salah calmly slotted in for Panenka, while 18-year-old Lucas Herrington missed Australia’s fourth attempt. Hossam Abdelmaguid then converted the decisive penalty to seal a 4-2 shootout win to send Egypt through to the round of 16.Egypt will now prepare for their round of 16 clash against defending champions Argentina as their memorable journey to the FIFA World Cup continues.
