92 years of disrespect: How Mohamed Salah single-handedly ended Egypt's World Cup curse

Premier League icon Mohamed Salah and his Egypt have made it to the Pulse of the Day after a much-needed victory against New Zealand.

92 years and 25 days after their FIFA World Cup debut, the Pharaohs finally have their first victory, with Salah the standout player on the pitch.

While everyone slept, the Pharaohs were forced to dig deep to keep their 2026 World Cup hopes alive following a decisive 3-1 win on Monday morning.

What turned out to be a historic day for the North Africans started on a shaky note after New Zealand stormed into an early lead following Finn Surman’s 15th minute opener.

Whatever Salah and his teammates were told at the break worked as the Pharaohs looked completely different in the second half.

Two goals in nine second half minutes saw Egypt turn things around remarkably. First, Mostafa Ziko equalised for Egypt just before the hour mark, and Salah completed the comeback when he made it 2-1 in the 67th minute.

Eight minutes from time, the 34-year-old former Liverpool forward wrapped up the win with an assist for teammate Trezeguet.

Not only did Salah standout on the day against New Zealand, he also became the first Egyptian to score in two editions of the FIFA World Cup.

In addition to his goal and assist, MO Salah created the most chances, five (5), most key passes (4), had the most touches in the New Zealand box, took the most shots,

His performance also pushed the Pharaohs to the top of Group G on four points after Iran held group favourites, the Red Devils of Belgium, to a goalless affair in the earlier match.