Egypt came agonisingly close to ending their long wait for a FIFA World Cup victory before settling for a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Belgium in an entertaining Group G Stage clash at Seattle Stadium.
The Pharaohs stunned the highly rated Belgians by taking a first-half lead through Emam Ashour’s spectacular strike. However, second-half substitute Romelu Lukaku helped change the momentum of the match as Belgium fought back to claim a share of the points.
The result means Egypt’s search for a first FIFA World Cup win since their return to the global stage continues, while Belgium extended their unbeaten run in World Cup opening matches despite another frustrating evening.
Belgium entered the contest full of confidence after a 5-0 friendly victory over Tunisia earlier this month. They also arrived carrying a 13-match unbeaten run in FIFA World Cup group-stage matches.
Kevin De Bruyne, making his 27th appearance at a major international tournament, nearly gave Belgium the perfect start. In the seventh minute, the Manchester City playmaker exchanged passes with Leandro Trossard before finding space on the edge of the area. His low effort looked destined for the corner until Mostafa Shobeir reacted sharply to make an important save.
Egypt gradually settled into the contest and produced a memorable moment in the 21st minute.
Mohamed Salah drifted inside and found Emam Ashour just outside the penalty area. The midfielder took one touch before unleashing a superb strike into the corner beyond Thibaut Courtois.
The goal sparked wild celebrations among the Egyptian players and supporters. It was Ashour’s first international goal and could hardly have come at a bigger moment.
The strike also carried historical significance. Egypt had only led once before in FIFA World Cup history, when they went ahead against Saudi Arabia in 2018 before eventually losing. This time, they looked determined to protect their advantage.
Belgium responded by increasing the pressure, but Egypt remained disciplined.
Mostafa Zico almost doubled the lead in the 32nd minute when he struck a powerful effort from distance. Courtois, however, produced an excellent save to keep Belgium in the game.
Leandro Trossard then wasted a golden opportunity seven minutes later. Jeremy Doku’s cutback found him unmarked inside the penalty area, yet the Arsenal forward completely mis-kicked his effort.
Belgium continued to push before half-time. Doku fired over from close range in stoppage time, while Courtois survived an anxious moment at the other end after mistiming a punch from a late Egyptian corner.
When the referee signalled the end of the first half, Egypt celebrated another historic milestone. For the first time ever, they led a FIFA World Cup match at half-time.
The Pharaohs almost strengthened their position immediately after the restart.
Mostafa Zico made a dangerous run across the box in the 47th minute but failed to make proper contact with his shot. The loose ball fell kindly for Omar Marmoush, yet Belgium recovered before he could pull the trigger.
Belgium then came within inches of an equaliser six minutes later.
De Bruyne stepped up to a free kick from around 20 yards and curled a brilliant effort toward goal. The ball beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the post.
The Belgian captain remained at the heart of every dangerous attack and continued to test Egypt’s defence.
In the 56th minute, Courtois made another unusual intervention. Mohamed Salah’s header forced the goalkeeper into an awkward diving punch, which dropped straight to Emam Ashour. The midfielder reacted quickly but dragged his effort across the face of goal.
Belgium’s pressure continued to build and eventually paid off in the 66th minute.
Just seconds after entering the match, Romelu Lukaku made an immediate impact. The striker’s movement inside the penalty area created confusion and forced Mohamed Hany into an unfortunate own goal.
Officially recorded as an own goal, the equaliser owed much to Lukaku’s presence and positioning. Belgium had finally found a way back into the contest.
The goal ended Belgium’s longest FIFA World Cup scoring drought in decades. Before finding the net, they had gone 325 minutes without scoring in the competition.
Belgium pushed for a winner during the final stages, but Mostafa Shobeir continued to impress.
The Egyptian goalkeeper denied Thomas Meunier in the 73rd minute before producing another excellent save from Brandon Mechele’s looping header in the 83rd minute.
Egypt also threatened on the counterattack. Hamdi Fathy delivered a dangerous cutback late in the game, though no teammate managed to apply the finishing touch. Moments later, Maxim De Cuyper produced a crucial block to deny Mohamed Hany from close range.
Despite both teams searching for a late breakthrough, neither side could find a decisive goal.
The final whistle confirmed a result that left mixed emotions in both camps.
Egypt will feel disappointed after leading for much of the match and coming so close to a famous victory. Nevertheless, they produced one of their strongest FIFA World Cup performances in recent memory against one of Europe’s leading teams.
Belgium, meanwhile, relied heavily on the influence of De Bruyne and the introduction of Lukaku to avoid defeat. The draw extended their FIFA World Cup winless run to three matches, their longest such sequence since a seven-game stretch between 1994 and 2002.
For Egypt, the wait for a FIFA World Cup victory now stretches to seven matches, the longest winless run in their history at the tournament.
There were also notable individual milestones on the night. Mohamed Salah marked his 34th birthday with another FIFA World Cup appearance, becoming the second-oldest player ever to feature on his birthday at the tournament behind Pat Jennings. Courtois also made his 16th FIFA World Cup appearance for Belgium, moving closer to Enzo Scifo’s national record of 17.
While Egypt’s wait for a World Cup win continues, they showed enough quality, resilience and belief to suggest they can still challenge for qualification from the group. Belgium remain unbeaten, but they know significant improvement will be required in their upcoming fixtures.
