Belgium and Egypt share points in World Cup opener

Belgium and Egypt played to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener on Monday. The match spoiled Mohamed Salah’s 34th birthday with a second-half equaliser from Belgium.

Emam Ashour scored first in the early moments of the game in Seattle. Later, Romelu Lukaku came off the bench after an hour and forced Egypt’s Mohamed Hany into an own goal.

With this draw, Egypt, who have won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, still wait for their first World Cup win. This is their fourth time playing in the World Cup. They will face Iran and New Zealand next, hoping to break their losing streak in North America.

“We know Belgium are a good team, they have good quality players but we can’t say it was the hardest game or the easiest game. Every game for us has got to be three points,” said Hamza Abdelkarim, an 18-year-old forward from Barcelona.

For Belgium, this is their third World Cup match without a win. They did not perform well in the 2022 tournament, finishing in the group stage. This World Cup might be the last chance for their golden generation to improve on their third-place finish in Russia eight years ago.

Veterans like Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Lukaku are still part of Rudi Garcia’s squad. “The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always tough, especially against one of Africa’s top teams,” Garcia said.

“The equaliser came from a player who came off the bench, which shows how important the whole squad is.” All eyes were on Salah and De Bruyne in the Pacific Northwest. De Bruyne created the first key moment, firing a sharp shot just wide in the seventh minute.

But Ashour stole the spotlight just before the hydration break. He received the ball in a spot similar to where De Bruyne had been and struck it sweetly into the bottom-right corner. Courtois had no chance to save it.

This was only the second time Egypt took the lead in a World Cup match. The first was when Salah scored in a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in 2018. De Bruyne nearly equalised early in the second half with a free-kick that flew off the outside of the post.

Salah tried to respond as he moved into the box but Courtois punched away his downward header. Ashour then missed his chance to score with the follow-up. The match opened up, and both teams had chances. Belgian captain Youri Tielemans had a powerful left-footed volley.

With 65 minutes gone, Garcia brought on Lukaku. The change paid off quickly. Belgium’s all-time top scorer showed his instincts by attacking a cross from Thomas Meunier. His presence forced Hany to score an own goal.

Salah left the pitch with 15 minutes left as Egypt tried to defend. They ultimately held on for a point.