New Zealand defender Finn Surman made a surprise appearance on the score sheet, burying the opening goal in his team's 3-1 World Cup loss to Egypt.

The loss on Sunday night (Monday AEST) put New Zealand at the bottom of Group G with just one point, but they can still advance to the knockout round.

If the Kiwis pull off an upset victory over Belgium in Vancouver on Friday and Egypt defeat Iran in Seattle, they can move on with an improbable second-place finish.

New Zealand carried much of the momentum through the first half against Egypt thanks to Surman's goal.

On a 15th-minute corner kick from fellow defender Tim Payne, Surman tracked the ball and knocked in a header from just outside the six-yard box.

"It was a pretty big jump," Surman said. "I definitely felt that it was a good goal, so I'm pretty happy about that."

The All Whites held that 1-0 lead into halftime, but a second-half flurry of Egyptian goals took New Zealand from potentially leading the group to sitting in last spot.

"I think it shows the highs and lows of football," Surman said. "That first half, I thought we played really well."

He said his parents were in attendance for the goal, hoping it was "something they remember and something that they're proud of".

Goalscoring is not generally a huge part of Surman's game, having scored just three professional goals. His first came with Wellington Phoenix in Australia's A-League, before his move to the Portland Timbers in 2024.

He had also scored twice before for New Zealand, most recently in a 2025 friendly.

Surman is one of just four players to have played the entirety of both of New Zealand's World Cup games.

Although his goal gave the Kiwis hope early, the backline has struggled, with New Zealand conceding five goals in their two games.

"We've just got to believe," team captain and starting striker Chris Wood said after the match.

"We've done extremely well on the world stage already, but we've got to believe we can go take it up to one of the best teams in the world."