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Egypt goalie, 45, saves penalty as he sets World Cup record

Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary set a World Cup record when his team’s game vs. Saudi Arabia kicked off on Monday.

El-Hadary, 45, became the oldest player to play in a World Cup game, breaking the record set by Colombia goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon at the 2014 World Cup. El-Hadary got the start as Egypt and Saudi Arabia played for bragging rights in Group A. With both Russia and Uruguay sitting at six points, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were eliminated after their second games of the tournament.

El-Hadary wasn’t simply out on the field to set a record. He stopped a first-half penalty kick as well.

That save kept Egypt up 1-0, but he couldn’t go 2-for-2 on penalty kicks. Saudi Arabia was awarded another penalty late in the first half and El-Hadary went the wrong way.

El-Hadary has been a member of Egypt’s national team since 1996 and has made over 150 appearances for the team.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

Essam El Hadary became the oldest player in World Cup history on Monday and marked the occasion with a penalty save.
Essam El Hadary became the oldest player in World Cup history on Monday and marked the occasion with a penalty save.

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