KABUL (Pajhwok): Egypt, Argentina and Colombia secured places in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after defeating Australia, Cape Verde and Ghana, respectively, in the final three Round of 32 matches played on Friday.
Egypt booked a historic place in the last 16 after defeating Australia 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time in Dallas.
Emam Ashour gave Egypt an early lead in the 13th minute, but Australia equalised in the second half through an own goal by Mohamed Hany. With neither side able to find a winner in extra time, the match was decided on penalties, where Egypt converted all four of their spot-kicks while Australia missed twice. The victory marked Egypt’s first-ever knockout-stage win at a FIFA World Cup.
In Miami, Argentina survived a spirited challenge from Cape Verde to claim a 3-2 victory and progress to the Round of 16. Cape Verde, appearing in the knockout stage for the first time, pushed the South American champions throughout the match but fell just short of forcing extra time.
Later in Kansas City, Colombia edged Ghana 1-0 to become the final team to qualify for the Round of 16. Colombia dominated much of the contest and held on to their narrow lead, while Ghana struggled to create clear scoring opportunities.
With the victories, Egypt will face Argentina in the Round of 16, while Colombia will take on Switzerland in the next phase of the tournament.
sa
