Salah turns 34 with assist as Egypt hold Belgium to 1-1 draw

Mohamed Salah spent his 34th birthday shaping the opening act of Egypt’s World Cup night in Seattle, delivering the assist that set up Emam Ashour’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Belgium. In a Group G match played at Seattle Stadium with kickoff set for 19:00 local time, Egypt struck first before Belgium answered to leave both sides level at full time.

The goal came from a move that underlined both Salah’s quality and Egypt’s tactical intent. Salah supplied a luxury pass for Ashour, the Al Ahly midfielder, and Ashour finished from outside the box with a powerful right-footed strike that beat Thibaut Courtois. ESPN recorded the result as 1-1, preserving the sense that Egypt had taken a meaningful point from one of the group’s most visible fixtures.

For Egypt, the moment reflected a squad built around familiar names and a measured balance of experience and domestic talent. FIFA listed Salah in Egypt’s tournament group, while Ashour appeared on ESPN as an Al Ahly midfielder and on FIFA’s squad list as one of Hossam Hassan’s midfield options. Hassan’s selection also placed Egypt in a difficult but manageable Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Iran.

Belgium arrived in Seattle with a 26-player squad and a lineup that still carried major international weight. Kevin De Bruyne, Courtois, Axel Witsel and Romelu Lukaku were among the headline names on the Belgian roster, giving the match a level of visibility that extended well beyond the standings. The draw made the opening exchange between the two teams more revealing than the scoreline alone: Egypt showed it could threaten a heavyweight, while Belgium had to recover after conceding first.

On American soil, games like this are becoming part of the World Cup’s broader cultural footprint. Seattle Stadium hosted not just a Group G fixture, but a meeting that pulled together star power, national identity and a crowd split across fan bases that follow these players far beyond their club seasons. Salah’s birthday assist and Ashour’s finish gave Egypt the kind of early tournament moment that travels fast, while Belgium’s response kept the group race tight heading into the rest of the opening stage.