Courtois breaks Belgian World Cup appearance record
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made history on Saturday by making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance during Belgium's 5-1 victory over New Zealand in the final league stage match. This surpasses the previous Belgian record of 17 appearances held by Enzo Scifo, as confirmed by FIFA's official social media post.
Salah becomes Egypt's first to five World Cup starts
In Egypt's 1-1 draw against Iran, Mohamed Salah made his fifth FIFA World Cup start, becoming the first Egyptian player to reach that milestone, according to Opta Analyst. The result secured Egypt a historic qualification to the round of 32. However, Salah played only 57 minutes—his fewest in a World Cup match—after requesting to be substituted in the second half, raising concerns about his fitness.
Egypt coach assesses Salah's condition
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan told beIN Sports, as quoted by Reuters, that Salah asked to come off, indicating he felt something. Hassan added, 'We will make sure what the problem is. We will assess him.' The extent of the issue remains unclear ahead of the knockout phase.
