'I had to do it!' - Mohamed Salah scores cheeky Panenka as Egypt hold nerve in World Cup penalty shoot-out win over Australia

Egypt advanced further into the tournament after overcoming a resilient Australia side in a gruelling penalty shootout. The Pharaohs originally opened the scoring through Emam Ashour, but a second-half own goal from Mohamed Hany cancelled out the narrow advantage. After extra time failed to separate the teams, Australian misses from Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington allowed Hossam Abdelmaguid to convert the decisive spot-kick, sealing a 4-2 shootout triumph.

With the pressure-cooker shootout finely balanced, the experienced captain stepped up to face substitute goalkeeper Mat Ryan and delivered a stunning chip down the middle.

Reflecting on his calculated gamble in the mixed zone, the Liverpool legend, who is now a free agent after leaving the Reds, emphasised his responsibility to lead the younger squad members by example.

Salah stated: "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."

Having guided his nation to their first-ever triumph in the knockout stages of the tournament, the forward was fully aware of the monumental weight behind the achievement.

He added: "It's history. I told the guys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on, so enjoy it, and don't let the pressure get to you. I'm glad that we managed to win the game. Bad luck for them, they lost on penalties. But I'm happy that we wrote history today."

This remarkable triumph carves a monumental milestone in footballing history, making Egypt only the fifth African country to ever progress through a World Cup knockout round. The result sees Egypt join Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, and Morocco in achieving the feat, with the Pharaohs having shattered a long-standing psychological barrier on the global stage.

The squad must quickly reset emotionally as they prepare for a daunting round-of-16 blockbuster against tournament heavyweights Argentina. The South American giants advanced after surviving a tense five-goal thriller in their match against Cape Verde. Maintaining a solid defensive shape and exploiting counter-attacking opportunities through their iconic captain will be crucial if the underdogs are to extend their journey.