Egypt moved to the top of the Group G table with a near-perfect second half in a 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand on Sunday night in Vancouver. At the heart of that effort were players both expected and unexpected.
Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, one of the elite players of his generation and a source of national pride within Egypt, was at the heart of everything dangerous and ultimately scored the winning goal. Then there was Mostafa Ziko, who made his national team debut less than a month ago and delivered arguably a Man of the Match performance.
Finally, the game was put out of reach when veteran Trezeguet scored his 24th career goal for Egypt for a 3-1 lead.
Here are my thoughts on it all:
1. Salah Sparks Big Second Half
(Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Egypt’s attack is led by Salah and Omar Marmoush, who are with two of the biggest clubs of the Premier League in Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively. Salah is one of the best forwards of the last decade with 257 goals for Liverpool across all competitions.
In the opening half, New Zealand was very effective in shutting down Egypt’s offense. Salah was contained and struggled to generate chances. At the halftime break, Egypt trailed 1-0 and was in a bad spot.
The second half was a complete turnaround for the Pharaohs as it became one-way traffic into the New Zealand half. Salah did what great players do in big games, he raised his level of play to the point where he could not be defended.
He was at the heart of nearly everything New Zealand was creating: he was dribbling past defenders, making smart passes, applying pressure, and getting into the New Zealand box for chances.
Then in the 67th minute, Salah gave Egypt its deserved winner. After receiving the ball at the right corner of the box, he held the ball up under pressure and worked a combination with Mostafa Ziko before beating New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe with a low shot inside the far post.
Mohamed Salah gives Egypt lead with goal vs New Zealand | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
2. Ziko’s Sunning Rise
(Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Less than a month ago, Mostafa Ziko made his debut for the Egyptian national team in the run-up to the World Cup. It was a surprising decision that a 29-year-old player completely inexperienced at the international level who has spent his entire club career in Egypt would make the World Cup team. But that is what happened and Ziko has been tremendous.
He made his debut with Egypt in a pre-World Cup friendly against Russia and scored the game’s only goal. Now in a game with the opportunity to move Egypt to the top of its World Cup group, Ziko was arguably the Man of the Match with a goal and an assist against New Zealand.
His goal in the 59th minute was the big equalizer for Egypt that sparked the team’s complete turnaround in this game. Then in the 67th minute Ziko combined with Salah inside the New Zeland box to set up the Liverpool great’s winning strike.
Salah is one of the best players of his generation and he sparked Egypt’s run in the second half, but Ziko had the goal contributions that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Egypt’s Mostafa Ziko nets header for equalizer vs New Zealand | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
3. Surman’s Quality Goal
(Photo by Sarah Stier – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The second half was ugly for New Zealand as the team completely collapsed in every area of the game. But in the first 45 minutes, the All Whites played well and Finn Surman was part of that. The Portland Timbers central defender was arguably the best player in the game for the first half.
At the heart of his effort was the goal. In the 15th minute, New Zealand earned a corner kick and Surman made a move into the box to get himself into an unmarked position. He then rose up high to meet a great delivery from Tim Payne and hit a thunderous header that was unsavable for Egyptian keeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir.
New Zealand’s Finn Surman scores goal off Tim Payne’s corner kick, taking early lead vs Egypt | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
For Surman, it briefly made him the unlikely star for New Zealand. He has never scored in MLS for the Portland Timbers since joining in 2024, but he now had a goal for the All Whites at the World Cup.
In the second half, there was little Surman and the team’s backline could do with the midfield and forwards unable to keep positions or create scoring chances for another goal. For the last 45 minutes, New Zealand’s defense was simply overwhelmed.
New Zealand is not out of this tournament. Advancing is possible but it will require a massive upset win over Belgium. Surman will need to play well for all 90 minutes to make that a possibility.
4. Looking Ahead To The Finales
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Egypt is now in a great position to win Group G. Heading into the final round of games, Egypt now has a two-point lead atop the table along with a two-goal edge in goal differential.
Most importantly, Egypt now has a lot of momentum at its back and the team’s best player in Salah is in great form. Next up will be against an Iranian team where Egypt should be the clear favorite to win. But even a draw could be enough to win the group.
Egypt has never advanced to the knockout rounds of the World Cup and, with four points from two games, it is heavily likely to do so. It would mark one of the greatest achievements in the national team’s history, and it would allow Salah the chance to add to the long list of his impressive career achievements, only this time for his national team.
New Zealand has also never advanced to the knockout stages of the World Cup and now, with just one point from two games and Belgium as its final opponent, the knockouts are extremely unlikely. According to the FIFA World Rankings, the Kiwis are the lowest ranked team at this tournament.
In this game, New Zealand fought as hard as it could before running out of gas in the second half. The optimistic take is that for three of the four halves the team has played at the tournament, the All Whites played well. But the second half tonight will likely be what sinks the team.
New Zealand vs Egypt Extended Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
