FIFA WC 2026: Ashour strikes, Hany own goal denies Egypt historic win against Belgium

Seattle, June 16 (IANS) Egypt were left to rue a missed opportunity for a historic FIFA World Cup victory after settling for a 1-1 draw against Belgium in their Group G opener at FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Pharaohs produced a disciplined and spirited display and looked on course for their first-ever World Cup win after Emam Ashour fired them ahead in the 19th minute. The move began with a moment of brilliance from Mohamed Salah, whose incisive pass unlocked the Belgian defence. Ashour took a composed touch before drilling a low shot beyond goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to register his first international goal.

Egypt carried their advantage deep into the second half and frustrated Belgium’s star-studded attack for long periods.

However, Belgium found a way back in the 66th minute. Moments after coming off the bench, Romelu Lukaku’s movement inside the penalty area created panic in the Egyptian defence. Thomas Meunier delivered a dangerous cross and defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, handing Belgium the equaliser.

Despite the disappointment of conceding, Egypt’s performance marked a significant step forward on football’s biggest stage. The North Africans not only earned a valuable point but also surpassed their previous record of 29 minutes spent leading in World Cup matches.

The result leaves Group G finely balanced, with Egypt taking plenty of confidence from a display that pushed one of Europe’s traditional heavyweights all the way.

“The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always a tough one, especially against one of Africa’s top teams like Egypt. The important thing is that we stayed in the game. We managed to equalise thanks to a player who came off the bench, which shows just how important the whole squad is. It was a great game between two very good teams,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was quoted as saying by FIFA.

Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim said, “We got one point at the end but we gave it our all. We know Belgium are a good team with good quality players and the atmosphere was great so we need to thank the fans.”

Scorers: Egypt – Emam Ashour (19’); Belgium – Mohamed Hany (own goal, 66’).

–IANS

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