Mohamed Hany own goal denies Egypt first World Cup win against Belgium

Mohamed Hany’s 66th-minute own goal saved Belgium from defeat and left Egypt still searching for a first World Cup victory after a 1-1 draw in Group G at Seattle Stadium. Romelu Lukaku changed the match almost instantly after coming on as a second-half substitute, turning Belgium’s pressure into an equalizer just 20 seconds later.

Egypt had started with purpose and took the lead in the 19th minute through Emam Ashour, whose strike was his first international goal. For long stretches, it looked like the breakthrough might carry extra weight: Egypt had never before won a World Cup match, and before this game it had led for only 29 minutes across all of its previous appearances on the sport’s biggest stage. This was Egypt’s fourth World Cup campaign, and the draw came as close as the team has come to a maiden victory.

The decisive moment arrived from the right side when Thomas Meunier sent in a cross and Lukaku burst into the box, forcing the kind of scramble that Egypt could not survive. Mostafa Shoubir could not prevent Hany from turning the ball into his own net, and Belgium were level after Lukaku’s first action had altered the rhythm of the contest. The timing underlined how much Belgium still leaned on its veteran core to rescue difficult matches.

That core remains the face of Belgium’s so-called golden generation, eight years after the team finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Kevin De Bruyne threatened early with a chance in the seventh minute and later clipped a free-kick against the outside of the post, while Thibaut Courtois and Lukaku again carried the experience expected of Belgium’s oldest winners. The draw said as much about Belgium’s reliance on familiar names as it did about Egypt’s narrow miss.

Mohamed Salah, who turned 34 on the day of the match, also had efforts in a lively opener that set the tone for Group G in North America. Egypt will now turn to matches against New Zealand and Iran, while Belgium will carry both the comfort of a point and the warning that even against a team without a prior World Cup win, its margin for error remained thin.