World Cup surprise: Iran “steals” a point from Egypt, Salah injured

The World Cup clash between Egypt and Iran ended in a 1-1 draw, denying the Iranians a historic victory.

Egypt had already secured qualification to the Round of 32 before the match, but missed the chance to top Group G and had to settle for second place.

Meanwhile, Iran’s national team now hopes to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

The match started at a very high tempo, with the “Pharaohs” taking the lead in the 5th minute through Mahmoud Saber, whose shot went through the legs of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Iran had a golden chance to equalize when Mohamed Abdelmonem conceded a penalty on Mehdi Taremi, but Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a brilliant save to deny the former Inter striker.

However, in the 14th minute, Ramin Rezaeian equalized from a very tight angle, scoring his second goal of the tournament.

The second half brought very bad news for the “Pharaohs.” Before the hour mark, star player Mohamed Salah was forced off due to an apparent injury. With Salah off the pitch, Egypt lacked creativity and struggled significantly to create dangerous chances.

The final moments of the match were a true nightmare for Egypt and a drama for Iran. In stoppage time, Shoja Khalilzadeh found the net for Iran following a free kick that caused chaos in the box, but the Iranian celebrations were cut short as the goal was disallowed for offside. As if that were not enough, just seconds later, Saeid Ezatolahi struck the post, leaving Egypt to escape in miraculous fashion.

Egypt now finishes second in the group and will face Australia in the Round of 16. On the other side, Amir Ghalenoei’s team begins an anxious wait to see whether they can secure a historic first-ever qualification to the knockout stage.

“KORÇA BOOM”