Egypt's 4-2-3-1 was tailor-made to funnel the ball to Salah in pockets between Iran's defensive and midfield lines. With Emam Ashour suspended, coach Ihab Galal opted for the Fathy-Attia double pivot — a more defensive pairing that allowed Salah and Marmoush to press high and transition quickly. Iran's 4-1-4-1 was disciplined but overly passive in the first half, with Cheshmi as a lone screen in front of a back four that sat deep. The tactical shift at the break — Jahanbakhsh given license to overlap aggressively — yielded the equaliser but also opened space in behind that Egypt exploited for the winner. Khalilzadeh's red card was symptomatic of Iran's growing desperation; once reduced to ten men, their compact shape collapsed and Egypt's quality told.

• Mohamed Salah directly contributed to both Egypt goals — penalty conversion + assist — finishing with a match-high 5 key passes.
• Shojae Khalilzadeh's double yellow (16' foul, 79' professional foul) proved the decisive disciplinary moment of the match.
• Iran's xG of 1.18 was almost entirely generated after half-time, underlining their passive first-half approach.
• Omar Marmoush's goal was his 9th in his last 12 international appearances — a remarkable run of form.
• Egypt's 56% possession was their highest in a World Cup group-stage match since 2018.
• Taremi's equaliser was Iran's first World Cup goal since the 2022 Qatar tournament — a reminder of their attacking threat even in a losing cause.