Mohamed Salah let out a celebration after Egypt's penalty shootout victory over Australia, but swiftly curtailed it. The former Liverpool star then carefully shook hands with each of his opponents — a gesture that has gone viral online and drawn widespread praise. 'Pure class from Salah. Respect first, celebration second. That's real sportsmanship,' one fan wrote on X. Another added: 'What an absolute class act he is.'
Egypt's first ever win in a World Cup knockout stage came after a 1-1 draw in the last-32 tie. Emam Ashour gave the Pharaohs the lead with a 13th-minute strike, but Australia equalised midway through the second half through a Mohamed Hany own goal. With the scores level after 90 minutes, the match went to penalties.
“Mohamed Salah's sportsmanship after Egypt's first World Cup knockout win over Australia sets up last-16 clash with Argentina.”
Australia substituted goalkeeper Patrick Beach for Mat Ryan in a bid to gain an advantage, but it was Egypt who prevailed 4-2 in the shootout. Salah set the tone by coolly slotting home an audacious Panenka. Hossam Abdelmaguid then sent Egypt through. After the match, an emotional Salah said: 'It's history. I told the boys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on. Enjoy it and don't let the pressure get to you. I'm glad that we managed to win the game. Bad luck to them. I'm happy that we made history.'
Of his penalty, Salah added: 'If somebody was going to do it, it would be me. I am more experienced than others, and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided [in the] last minute. I don't know if it's my last World Cup or not, but I had to do it.'
Egypt's reward is a last-16 tie against reigning world champions Argentina, who overcame a huge scare from World Cup debutants Cape Verde to win 3-2 in extra time on Friday evening. The match will take place in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 7, with Salah expected to face Lionel Messi in a mouth-watering clash.