Egypt coach dedicates historic World Cup knockout win to Palestinians

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has dedicated his team's historic
World Cup knockout victory over Australia to the people of Palestine, who
joined the rest of the Arab world in celebrating the win through the night,
reports Al Jazeera.
Egypt held their nerve to beat
Australia 4-2 on penalties and secure their first World Cup knockout victory
following a 1-1 draw after extra time in a cagey round of 32 match at Dallas
Stadium on Friday (3 July).
Hossam Abdelmaguid converted the
winning spot-kick after Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington missed from 12 yards
for Australia, sending Egypt into a last-16 clash with Argentina or Cape Verde.
Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead with a 13th-minute header before an own goal by
Mohamed Hany 10 minutes into the second half levelled the scores.
Speaking to reporters after the
match, Hassan said, "May God grant them [the Palestinians] victory, may
God have mercy on their martyrs.
"I'm saying to them: I'm
dedicating this victory to the Egyptian people and Palestinian people, those
kind and honourable people."
Hassan carried both the Egyptian
and Palestinian flags onto the pitch following the victory, which was the
country's first win in its first-ever World Cup knockout match.
The Egyptian players then
collectively bent down on the ground in prostration.
Several Palestinian football fans
took to social media to express their shared joy with Egypt.
"For the first time, I'm
following the World Cup with this much excitement," Gaza-based Tamer Nahed
wrote on X.
"I was so happy to see Egypt
win a little while ago, but the most beautiful sight was here … thousands of
people came out of their tents and from among their destroyed homes to watch
the match.
"Faces lit up with smiles,
cheers filled the air, and it felt as if everyone had decided to give
themselves a moment of life despite everything surrounding them," he
wrote.
Social media footage from the
besieged strip showed people gathered at a match screening against the backdrop
of bombed buildings and makeshift tents.
Some were seen smiling and holding
Egyptian flags, while many children had the country's flag painted on their
faces.
















