World Cup 2026: Mohamed Salah becomes Egypt’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer

Mohamed Salah continued to cement his legendary status in Egyptian football history after inspiring the Pharaohs to a memorable 3-1 comeback victory over New Zealand at BC Place Stadium on Monday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The result came in Egypt’s second Group G fixture and marked another historic night for the national team as Salah broke a major World Cup scoring record.

New Zealand Shock Egypt Early

New Zealand made the brighter start and stunned the Pharaohs by taking the lead in the 15th minute.

Finn Surman rose highest inside the penalty area to meet a dangerous cross before powering a header past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Egypt’s defence failed to deal with the delivery, allowing the New Zealand defender a free opportunity to score.

The early goal placed pressure on Egypt, who struggled to find rhythm during parts of the opening half.

Egypt Respond Strongly After the Break

The Pharaohs returned from halftime with far greater intensity and eventually found the equaliser in the 58th minute through Mostafa Zico.

Mohamed Hany delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area and Zico met it with a powerful header that squeezed past the New Zealand goalkeeper despite getting a hand to the effort.

Egypt continued to push forward in search of a second goal and their attacking pressure eventually paid off in the 67th minute.

Salah Makes More History

The winning goal came after a quick and well-worked attacking move involving Mohamed Salah and Mostafa Zico.

Salah initially released the ball to Zico before receiving a clever backheel return pass inside the penalty area. The Egyptian captain then fired a low finish beyond the goalkeeper and into the net.

The goal carried historic significance as it took Salah to three World Cup goals, making him Egypt’s all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.

According to Stats Foot, Salah surpassed Abdel Rahman Fawzi, who previously held the record with two goals.

Trezeguet Seals Impressive Victory

Egypt sealed the victory in the 82nd minute through substitute Mahmoud Trezeguet.

The winger rose inside the penalty area to meet a well-delivered corner kick before directing a powerful header into the net to complete an impressive comeback victory for the Pharaohs.

Mostafa Zico Also Enters the Record Books

The match also proved historic for Mostafa Zico, who delivered one of the standout performances of the tournament so far.

The forward scored Egypt’s equaliser and provided the assist for Salah’s goal, becoming the first player in Egypt national team history to both score and assist in the same World Cup match, according to Opta statistics.

Salah Climbs Africa’s International Scoring Rankings

Salah’s latest goal also moved him closer to the top of Africa’s all-time international scoring charts.

The Egypt captain now has 68 international goals, placing him just behind Hossam Hassan, who scored 69 goals for the Pharaohs.

Zambian legend Godfrey Chitalu remains Africa’s highest international goalscorer with 79 goals, followed by Malawi’s Kena Phiri with 71, while Ivory Coast icon Didier Drogba finished his international career with 65 goals.