00:00The match kicked off with a massive scrap in midfield as both sides looked to stamp their
00:04authority on the game. New Zealand didn't have to wait long to break the deadlock,
00:10silencing the Egyptian fans when Finn Sermon Clinical slotted home the opening goal in the
00:1515th minute to put the Kiwis 1-0 up. Stung by the opener, Egypt threw bodies forward in desperate
00:22search of an immediate response, which quickly turned the game into a feisty affair.
00:28Egyptian midfielder Mohanad Lashin booked a yellow card in the 17th minute for a heavy
00:33challenge to stop a swift Kiwi counterattack. The all-whites stood their ground and matched the
00:38physicality, resulting in a yellow card for midfielder Saprit Singh in the 20th minute.
00:44Egypt continued to dominate possession trying to unlock a rock-solid Kiwi defence,
00:49but New Zealand remained incredibly dangerous on the break,
00:52outshooting the pharaohs with seven attempts to five. The referee added four minutes of stoppage
00:59time, where Egypt launched waves of attacks, but the Kiwi boys defended brilliantly to keep their
01:05clean sheet intact. With the referee blowing the whistle for halftime, New Zealand heads into the
01:11sheds with a crucial 1-0 lead thanks to Sermon's strike, leaving it all to play for in what promises
01:17to be an absolute thriller of a second half.
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