Egypt Defeats New Zealand 3-1 for First FIFA World Cup Win

Egypt defeated New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday in a FIFA World Cup group stage match in Vancouver. The result gave Egypt its first-ever victory at the tournament finals after eight appearances. Mohamed Salah scored once and recorded one assist.

Egypt moved to the top of Group G. Egypt will face Iran in its final group game in Seattle on Friday. Both teams entered the match on one point each. Belgium drew 0-0 with Iran in Los Angeles on the same day.

Romelu Lukaku started for Belgium and was substituted in the 73rd minute after recording zero shots on target, zero shots off target and zero assists. His expected goals total for the match stood at 0.03. Kevin De Bruyne supplied a pass in the 59th minute that Maxim De Cuyper shot directly at goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Belgium's opening group game against Egypt had ended 1-1 in Seattle, with Lukaku an unused substitute. Lukaku has scored 90 goals in 127 international appearances for Belgium and ranks fifth on the all-time international goalscoring list. De Bruyne has made 21 appearances in all competitions for Napoli in the 2025-26 season after a long-term hamstring injury.

Lukaku made seven appearances for the same club during the season due to fitness problems. De Bruyne was released by Manchester City at the end of his contract in summer 2025. This marks the fourth World Cup for both De Bruyne and Lukaku with Belgium, which reached the semifinals in 2018.