Egypt into the Round of 32, Iran out, and your World Cup weekend catch-up

⚽ The group stage is over, and the knockout rounds begin tonight with South Africa vs. Canada at 10pm at the Los Angeles Stadium. It’s a special occasion for both sides — South Africa’s first-ever World Cup knockout game and Canada’s first as well, with the co-hosts reaching the last 32 for the first time in their history. The kicker? One goes home tonight.

On our radar tomorrow:

• Brazil vs. Japan — 8pm, beIN Sports Max 1;
• Germany vs. Paraguay — 11:30pm, beIN Sports Max 2.

🥅 ICYMI-

Let’s start where it matters most. Egypt’s spot in the Round of 32 was confirmed in dramatic fashion on Friday in Seattle, after a 1-1 draw with Iran that came within seconds of going very differently. Egypt went ahead in the fifth minute, and Iran equalized nine minutes later. From that point on, it was a tense, tight affair, with both teams pushing with all their might.

Iran’s Khalilzadeh thought he’d secured it with a goal in the third minute of stoppage time, rifling it into the roof of the net, but VAR ruled it out for offside — breaking Iranian hearts and confirming the draw. Egypt progressed to the Round of 32 as Group G runners-up, where they will face Australia at the Dallas Stadium on Friday, 3 July, at 9pm Cairo time (this is your cue to get a head start on making plans).

While we would have loved for our Pharaohs to remain on top of the group rather than be runners-up, the silver lining is the fact that Egypt won’t have to face Senegal — arguably Om El Donia’s biggest continental rival — but rather Australia, which many may deem an easier opponent. The catch? If we secure a victory against our friends from Down Under, we’ll likely be facing Argentina should they send Cape Verde packing. Now that would be a nail-biter if we’ve ever seen one.

Beyond the Pharaohs’ weekend conquest, here’s everything else that went down early this morning. The final group-stage fixtures took place last night and early this morning. England beat Panama 2-0 at midnight, with Harry Kane becoming England’s all-time World Cup top scorer with 11 goals. In the simultaneous fixture, Croatia edged Ghana 2-1. At 2:30am, Colombia and Portugal played out a goalless draw in Miami — both through to the Round of 32.

DR Congo beat Uzbekistan 3-1 to claim one of the eight best third-place spots. Both Group J finales delivered their fair share of action, with Algeria and Austria drawing 3-3 in Kansas City, sending both through and eliminating Iran in the process. Argentina also beat Jordan 3-1 in Dallas, with Messi extending his record to seven consecutive World Cup games with a goal.

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