This match did the thing every neutral secretly wants: it lied to you early and then made you pay attention. Finn Surman climbs at a corner in the 15th minute, New Zealand lead 1-0, and for forty-five minutes the story writes itself as a plucky underdog night. Then halftime happens and Egypt come out as a completely different team. The first half and the second half feel like two separate fixtures, and both halves are genuinely fun, which is more than most 1-3 results can promise.

Mostafa Ziko's 58th-minute header is the moment the comeback finds its pulse, a powerful equaliser that drags Egypt level and the crowd back into it. Then Mohamed Salah turns up like a man who read the fixture list and circled this one: a calm 67th-minute finish off a Ziko combination, followed by a pinpoint corner in the 82nd that Trezeguet glances home. Goal and assist, no fuss, all class. That is the difference between a side that hopes and a side that decides.

As entertainment this is a strong night. No red cards, no VAR melodrama, no twenty-minute pause while three officials squint at a screen. Just an early lead, a real comeback, a star turn, and four goals across the swing. The only loser was anyone who turned it off at the break, and honestly, that is on them.