Mohamed Salah scored the coolest of penalties as Egypt made history by beating Australia 4-2 on spot kicks in the Dallas suburb of Arlington on Friday, advancing to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A tense affair in which the Egyptians and their off-color captain Salah wasted a number of solid chances had ended in a 1-1 draw, following a hard-fought 120 minutes in Texas.

Emam Ashour gave the Pharaohs the lead by scoring in the 13th minute with a header. The Socceroos pulled even in the 55th, when Egypt defender Mohamed Hany became the first player to blunder into two own-goals at the same World Cup.

The self-inflicted wound followed Aiden O'Neill's free kick from left of the penalty area, with Hany accidentally heading the ball past goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir for a spot in tournament infamy. His other own-goal came in a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the group stage.

Argentina looms next, after the defending champion avoided a massive upset in its round of 32 contest, prevailing in a 3-2 extra time squeaker against tournament debutant and heartwarming "Cinderella" story Cabo Verde.

"It's history," said Salah, who was emotional after his team won a World Cup knockout match for the first time. "I told the boys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on. Enjoy it and don't let the pressure get to you."

Australia coach Tony Popovic turned to experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan for the penalty shootout, in a last-gasp gamble that ultimately failed to pay off.

Shooting toward the Egyptian fans with whistles raining down, defender Harry Souttar blazed the first kick over to immediately leave the Aussies on the back foot.

The next five players all scored, including Salah with a "Panenka," before 18-year-old Australian defender Lucas Herrington hit the bar.

Hossam Abdelmaguid held his nerve to send Egypt through, prompting Salah to shed tears of joy.

"If somebody was going to do it, it would be me," Salah said after his chipped penalty under excruciating pressure. "I am more experienced than others and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided, last minute, that I had to do it."

The evening's late match saw Jhon Arias score off a sharp pass from Luis Suárez in the opening minutes, before Colombia held off Ghana the rest of the way in Kansas City, sending Los Cafeteros into the round of 16 with a tight 1-0 victory.