Egypt hold Belgium: 1-1 in Group G opener

Seattle Stadium, 15 June 2026 - Egypt and Belgium shared the spoils in the Group G opener at the World Cup, drawing 1-1. Romelu Lukaku forced an own goal just 28 seconds after coming on as a substitute to spare Belgium from defeat.

Ashour breaks the deadlock with first international goal

Midfielder Emam Ashour opened the scoring with a powerful strike from 20 yards in the 19th minute, his first goal in international football. Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan deployed Mohamed Salah in a central role, on the Liverpool star's 34th birthday, and the decision paid off almost immediately.

Salah earned a yellow card against Belgium in the early minutes before playing a precise pass to Ashour on the edge of the penalty area. Ashour controlled the ball first time and hit it with his right foot at 34 km/h, placing it into the bottom left corner beyond the reach of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. It was Ashour's first goal in 30 appearances for the national team.

Lukaku levels immediately after coming on

Belgium struggled to find a way through in the first half, failing to test Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir across all eight of their attempts. Courtois was called into action with a fine save in the 33rd minute to deny Mostafa Zico.

The match changed dramatically in the 66th minute when Romelu Lukaku came on as a substitute. The veteran striker forced Egypt into conceding an own goal just 28 seconds after his introduction, levelling the score at 1-1 and sparing Belgium an embarrassing defeat.

Egypt still waiting for first World Cup win

The draw denied Egypt a historic first victory at the World Cup. It was the country's fourth appearance in the final stages of the tournament.

• Goals: Ashour (Egypt, min. 19) - Own goal (Egypt, min. 66, forced by Lukaku)
• Stadium: Seattle Stadium
• Group: G, matchday 1