▲ Belgium's Romelu Lukaku (No. 9) battles past two defenders
Belgium, ranked 9th in the FIFA world rankings, managed a hard-fought draw against the "Kings of Africa," Egypt.
In their opening match of Group G at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, held at Seattle Stadium in Washington, USA, Belgium secured a 1-1 draw following an own goal by Egypt in the 21st minute of the second half.
With both teams sharing one point, they head into their remaining group stage matches with slightly less pressure, as they are set to face New Zealand (85th), considered the weakest team in the group, and Iran (20th), who are competing in this tournament amidst the backdrop of war.
Belgium conceded the opening goal just 19 minutes into the match.
After Egypt broke through Belgium's right flank, the ball was centered to Imam Ashour, who was positioned in front of the penalty arc, and he converted it into a goal.
Ashour confidently fired a powerful right-footed shot past a Belgian defender to find the back of the net.
Stunned by the early setback, Belgium increased their offensive intensity following the water break in the first half.
They focused their attacks primarily on the left flank, searching for scoring opportunities.
In the 31st minute, Belgium's Youri Tielemans connected with a header from a Timothy Castagne cross on the left, but the ball missed to the right of the goal, leaving him frustrated.
After failing to capitalize on several scoring chances, Belgium even faced the risk of conceding another goal.
In the 33rd minute, Egypt's Mostafa Zizo attempted a powerful shot from the right corner of the penalty box aimed at the bottom left corner, but Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois dove to make a crucial save.
Belgium dominated the first half with 53% possession compared to Egypt's 38%, but struggled due to a lack of clinical finishing.
Belgium pushed even harder in the second half.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Belgian forward Jérémy Doku drew a foul near the left side of the penalty arc to earn a free kick. Veteran Kevin De Bruyne curled a sharp right-footed shot, but the ball struck the left post and bounced away.
With Egypt's goal remaining elusive, Belgium made two substitutions in the 11th minute of the second half to shift the momentum, and in the 21st minute, they brought on striker Romelu Lukaku as a tactical gamble.
The equalizer came shortly after Lukaku was introduced.
Belgium created an opportunity with a breakthrough on the right flank followed by a low cross. Lukaku, rushing into the center, fought off the defenders and attempted a sliding shot.
In the process, the ball deflected off the foot of Egypt's Mohamed Hany, who was marking Lukaku, and went into the net, resulting in an own goal.
After leveling the score, Belgium continued to pressure Egypt's goal but failed to find a winner.
In stoppage time, a right-footed shot by Belgium's Brandon Mechele from the left side of the penalty box sailed over the crossbar, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.