Mohamed Salah inspired Egypt to a first-ever World Cup victory and moved the team within touching distance of the knockout phase, as a 3-1 comeback win over New Zealand in Vancouver put Egypt in control of Group G and left Salah calling on team-mates to secure more history by reaching the last 32.

Egypt now sit on the verge of qualification, knowing that a draw against Iran in their final Group G game will guarantee progress to the round of 32, while results elsewhere could even make that unnecessary, leaving New Zealand needing a win over Belgium to keep any chance of advancing.

Salah delivered a goal and an assist against New Zealand and, at 34 years and seven days, became Egypt’s oldest World Cup scorer, taking that record from Magdi Abdelghani, who struck against the Netherlands at the 1990 tournament aged 30 years and 320 days.

The forward’s display also helped end Egypt’s long wait for a World Cup victory after eight previous matches without a win, with the team having gone out in the first round in 1934, 1990 and 2018, and Egypt also became the first African side since Tunisia in 2018 to overturn a deficit and win at the tournament.

New Zealand struck first after 15 minutes in Vancouver when Finn Surman headed in, giving the All Whites a lead while also chasing their own first World Cup win at the eighth attempt, before Egypt responded strongly after half-time to swing the contest in their favour.

Mostafa Zico brought Egypt level early in the second half, finishing from a Mohamed Hany cross, and Salah then combined neatly with Zico before calmly slotting the second goal, later delivering the corner that Trezeguet converted for 3-1 as Egypt raised the tempo and controlled the rest of the match.

The influence of Salah and the pattern of the game can be seen in the key numbers from Vancouver, with New Zealand’s early control giving way to Egyptian dominance after the break, reflected in chances, goals and overall impact on the result.

Speaking after the match, Salah struggled to put the achievement into words but made clear that Egypt’s ambitions stretched beyond one win, stressing the importance of maintaining focus before facing Iran and underlining how much this campaign could mean for Egyptian football history.

“It’s incredible. I don’t know how to express it in words, Salah told FIFA’s website afterwards. It’s a great achievement for all the players, for the staff, so hopefully we can carry on like this in the group, and we can write history and qualify. And then, in years to come, it will be remembered as one of the best achievements in the history [of Egyptian football]. We have to enjoy today, enjoy tomorrow, then focus on the next one.”

New Zealand, who had started strongly, finished the first half with more shots and more efforts on target, but coach Darren Bazeley admitted that the team could not maintain the same intensity after the interval and that Egypt’s increased tempo proved decisive.

“We were so good in the first half. We dominated possession and created a lot of chances,” he said. “We came out in the second half, and I thought we were okay, but we didn’t quite get to the pace of the game. Egypt upped the tempo and we couldn’t replicate what we were doing so well in the first half. Ultimately, that hurt us.”

The All Whites now face Belgium on Friday needing a victory to keep alive hopes of reaching the last 32, and Bazeley insisted that, despite the defeat to Egypt, the group remains open enough for New Zealand to still chase a landmark qualification.

“We’re still one game away from making history,” he said. “We know we have to beat Belgium now.”

For Egypt, the focus shifts to managing the final group match against Iran, with Salah’s leadership, new scoring record and the landmark first World Cup win giving the squad belief that a first appearance in the last 32 is within reach if composure is maintained.