Egypt's first-ever World Cup knockout win

Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties in the Round of 32, after normal time in Dallas ended 1-1. It's the first time in the country's history that Egypt have won a knockout-stage match at a World Cup.

Mohamed Salah was involved in most of Egypt's better moments and looked sharp throughout the ninety minutes, even though neither side managed a second goal in open play. The shootout went all the way to sudden death before Egypt finally converted the winning kick, and celebrations back home reflected just how long fans had waited for a moment like this. Australia will feel they let this one slip, having matched Egypt for large parts of the game before missing two of their five spot kicks.

For Egypt, reaching the Round of 16 already puts this campaign ahead of the expectations most people had before the tournament started, when they were seen as one of the weaker sides in an expanded 48-team field. The shootout also showed a level of composure under pressure that hasn't always been associated with this Egypt squad at big tournaments.

Now they face a much sterner test: Argentina in the Round of 16 on July 7. On paper it's a huge step up, but Egypt have already shown they don't fold under pressure, and a penalty shootout win against a well-organised Australia side is not nothing. If Egypt can keep things tight defensively and get anything at all from Salah in the final third, this has the makings of one of the more interesting ties of the round.