Belgium 1-1 Egypt: Spoils shared in end-to-end Group G encounter

Egypt were denied a first-ever World Cup win after playing out a 1-1 draw with Belgium at Seattle Stadium.

Mohamed Hany's own goal in the 66th minute cancelled out Emam Ashour's brilliant opener, while neither side were able to win all three points in the first match of Group G.

Soon after Kevin De Bruyne flashed an effort wide of the left post early on, Egypt broke the deadlock on 19 minutes as Ashour beat Thibaut Courtois from distance after being afforded far too much time and space.

Mostafa Zico almost doubled their lead shortly after the half-hour mark, but was denied by Courtois at full stretch, while Jeremy Doku blazed over at the other end on the stroke of half-time.

The second half followed suit, with Zico mistiming his shot from Mohamed Salah's cutback, while the latter also saw a header denied by Courtois after De Bruyne struck the woodwork from a free-kick.

However, after Omar Marmoush saw a deflected strike land wide of the goal, Belgium were level as Thomas Meunier's low cross was inadvertently turned into his own goal by Hany.

Romelu Lukaku, who came off the bench and played a crucial role in the equaliser, saw a powerful effort from the edge of the box blocked before Brandon Mechele's header was turned away by Mostafa Shobeir.

Lukaku had one more chance to snatch victory for Belgium, but his header from Nicolas Raskin's cross flew over the bar as both sides had to settle for a point.

Belgian and Egyptian stars shine on the big stage

It was almost a perfect birthday for Salah, who turned 34 on Monday, as his assist for Ashour looked set to secure a famous victory for Egypt.

At exactly 34 years of age, Salah is the second-oldest African player to provide an assist at the World Cup since 1966, after Roger Milla in 1990 against England (aged 38 years and 42 days).

Salah created the most chances for his side (three), while Manchester City's Marmoush recorded the most shots (five) as Egypt proved they can be a real threat this summer.

However, Lukaku, playing in his fourth World Cup, came off the bench and made an immediate impact for Rudi Garcia's side as he pushed the Egypt backline towards their own goal and was a constant presence.

Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans (both three) led in chances created for Belgium, while De Bruyne was unable to score with any of his five shots as key players on both teams looked to make their mark.

Hany's own goal is already the third own goal of the 2026 World Cup, already one more than in the whole of the 2022 edition combined.

But the defender can count himself unfortunate after a brilliant display, winning five of his six tackles, eight of his 11 duels and completing both of his dribbles.