Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to help Belgium salvage a 1-1 draw against Egypt after the Pharaohs threatened to record their first-ever FIFA World Cup victory in Seattle.
Egypt took a deserved lead in the 19th minute through Emam Ashour, whose first international goal was crafted by Mohamed Salah on the Liverpool star’s 34th birthday. The Al Ahly midfielder calmly slotted past Thibaut Courtois after receiving Salah’s pass, giving Egypt a half-time advantage.
The goal marked a historic moment for the North Africans, who had previously only led a World Cup match for a combined 29 minutes.
Belgium struggled to break down Egypt until coach Rudi Garcia turned to all-time leading scorer Lukaku in the second half. The striker made an immediate impact, with his presence inside the box forcing defender Mohamed Hany to turn Thomas Meunier’s cross into his own net just 20 seconds after Lukaku’s introduction.
Despite Belgium’s late pressure, Egypt held firm to secure a valuable point in their Group G opener.
Ashour was named Superior Player of the Match following his standout display.
“The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always a tough one, especially against one of Africa’s top teams like Egypt. The important thing is that we stayed in the game. We managed to equalise thanks to a player who came off the bench, which shows just how important the whole squad is. It was a great game between two very good teams,” said Belgium coach Rudi Garcia.
Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim said: “We got one point at the end but we gave it our all. We know Belgium are a good team with good quality players and the atmosphere was great so we need to thank the fans.”
The result leaves both teams with one point as Group G gets underway.
FIFA
