Belgium and Egypt settled for a 1-1 draw in their opening Group G match at the FIFA World Cup on Monday, as the Pharaohs were denied victory on Mohamed Salah’s 34th birthday.
Egypt made a bright start in Seattle and took the lead through Emam Ashour in the first half, putting the seven-time African champions on course for a famous win against the highly rated Belgians.
However, Belgium found a way back after the interval. Romelu Lukaku, introduced just after the hour mark, made an immediate impact as his pressure forced Egypt defender Mohamed Hany into an own goal, restoring parity.
The result means Egypt’s search for a first-ever World Cup victory remains unfinished. The North Africans, making their fourth appearance at football’s biggest tournament, will now turn their attention to crucial Group G fixtures against Iran and New Zealand as they seek to end their long wait for a breakthrough win on the global stage.
Veterans Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Lukaku are the main protagonists of that group still involved in Rudi Garcia’s squad.
With all eyes in the Pacific Northwest on Salah and De Bruyne, it was the ex-Manchester City playmaker that created the first moment of note in the match when he dragged a sharp effort narrowly wide in the seventh minute.
However, it was Ashour who upstaged the pair just before the hydration break when he received the ball in a similar position to De Bruyne but his sweetly-struck effort left Courtois no chance as it whistled into the bottom-right corner.
It was just the second time in their history that Egypt had taken the lead in a World Cup match – after Salah opened the scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia in 2018.
De Bruyne came within inches of levelling early in the second period when he whipped a close-range free-kick over the Egyptian wall, only to see it rocket off the outside of the post.
Salah responded at the other end as he ghosted into the box but had his downward header punched away by Courtois with Ashour getting his follow-up effort all wrong.
The match became stretched as both sides came close on a couple of occasions, including a screaming left-footed volley by Belgian captain Youri Tielemans.
With 65 minutes gone, Rudi Garcia decided to send on Lukaku.
The change immediately paid dividends as Belgium’s all-time top goal scorer showed his predatory instincts to dash in on a Thomas Meunier cross, with his presence enough to destabilize Hany who put through his own net.
Salah departed the field with 15 minutes remaining as Egypt sought to shut up shop and ultimately held out for a point.
