Australia – Egypt

The Australian national team will not be beaten in regulation time.

A pair of teams made up of Australia and Egypt would have been hard to imagine advancing to the knockout stage in any previous World Cup. However, the change in the World Cup format brought to fruition something that Asia/Oceania and Africa could hardly have dreamed of. Interestingly, the group-stage opponents earned the right to advance to the knockout stage by winning once each. Moreover, those victories were achieved over the teams that finished fourth in those groups. The 'tasty morsel' in the form of the Australia–Egypt match winner could go to Argentina in the Round of 16, as Argentina hopes to secure a victory in the Round of 16 over the formidable debutants from Cape Verde. The Australian team surprised the world football community when, thanks to incredible work rate and discipline, they managed to defeat Turkey in the opening group match. We know that fortune deserted the Turkish side, but that in no way diminishes the achievements of the Australian players themselves. In the second round, the Australians were fairly beaten by the United States, who enjoy the support of their own fans at the tournament. Going into the final game, Australia was content with a draw against their rival Paraguay to claim the runner-up spot. The opponents finished the match 0:0, which allowed the Australians to repeat their 2022 World Cup feat and advance to the knockout stage from the second place. Egypt also finished second in their group. One advantage for the Egyptians over their upcoming opponent is that they have yet to taste defeat at the World Cup. In the opening match they performed admirably against Belgium, forcing the Belgian side to come from behind to draw (1:1). In the second round, Mo Salah and company comfortably beat New Zealand, showing character and will to win after conceding a goal at the start. In the third match, Egypt rolled to a favorable draw with Iran. In terms of squad, the African team looks more complete than its opponent. The other thing is that the Australians seem more cohesive as a team. And it's very hard for the Egyptians to play as the leading side. They are much more comfortable defending and looking for counterattack opportunities. Australia won't grant their opponents that luxury.