Salah inspires Egypt, Belgium rallies to draw World Cup opener

Mohamed Salah marked his 34th birthday by carving open Belgium’s defense, and Emam Ashour finished the move with the first international goal of his career. Yet Belgium still left Seattle Stadium with a point after Romelu Lukaku came off the bench and changed the match almost instantly, turning a first-half Egypt lead into a 1-1 draw in the Group G opener of the 2026 World Cup.

The result underscored the value of elite veterans on both sides. Salah, even in a game that hinged on details, created the breakthrough with precision, while Lukaku needed only 22 seconds after entering as a substitute to alter the tempo and force the equalizer through pressure that led to Mohamed Hany’s own goal. For Belgium, the late intervention from its all-time leading scorer kept alive a veteran core that also includes Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois.

For Egypt, Ashour’s strike carried more than simple scoreboard value. It came at the end of a sequence written by Salah and finished cleanly by the Al Ahly midfielder, but it also represented a rare moment of control for a national team that arrived in the tournament with a stark World Cup record. Egypt had never won a World Cup match, and before this game had spent only 29 minutes total in front across its entire history in the competition. This was Egypt’s fourth World Cup appearance, after 1934, 1990 and 2018, and the opening goal briefly suggested that a long wait might finally end.

Belgium’s response revealed why the team remains dangerous despite questions about the age of its core. Rudi Garcia had the option to turn to Lukaku late, and the move paid off immediately as Belgium recovered from a slow start and avoided a damaging defeat in a group that also includes Iran and New Zealand. The point left Belgium and Egypt level at the top of Group G, pending the result of Iran’s meeting with New Zealand.

The evening in Seattle offered a sharp contrast between promise and vulnerability. Egypt showed that Salah can still bend a match on command and that Ashour can deliver on the biggest stage, but the team also could not protect a lead against a more experienced opponent. Belgium, meanwhile, showed that its aging stars can still rescue a result, even as the team’s dependence on late heroics suggests a side that remains potent but far from settled.