Heartbreak for Egypt: Own Goal Costs Victory Against Belgium

The FIFA World Cup encounter between Belgium and Egypt ended in a 1–1 draw at the Seattle Stadium. Imam Ashour put Egypt ahead in the 19th minute with a strike from outside the box, assisted by Mohamed Salah. However, Belgium drew level in the 66th minute courtesy of an own goal by Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany.

With this result, both teams earned a point each in their opening Group G match of the World Cup.

Despite holding the lead for a significant portion of the match, Egypt failed to secure a win as the costly own goal dashed their hopes. The highly competitive Group G clash between Egypt and Belgium at the 2026 World Cup ultimately concluded in a 1–1 stalemate.

Belgium created the first opportunity of the match in the 7th minute, but star forward Kevin De Bruyne’s right-footed shot flew past the left post.

Egypt capitalized on their first major chance to break the deadlock in the 20th minute. Capitalizing on an assist from Mohamed Salah, Imam Ashour unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from outside the box, beating Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Despite diving in the right direction, Courtois had no chance of stopping the strike.

This marked the first international goal for the 28-year-old midfielder, Ashour, in his 30th appearance for the Egyptian national team.
Desperate for an equalizer, Belgium created several opportunities over the next 15 minutes. However, whenever they lost possession, Egypt looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Despite the back-and-forth action, the first half ended 1–0.

Early in the second half, Jérémy Doku fired over the crossbar in the 46th minute. In the 53rd minute, Belgium earned a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the box, but Kevin De Bruyne’s precise effort struck the woodwork, denying them an equalizer.

Two minutes later, Egypt came agonizingly close to doubling their lead. Courtois blocked Salah's header inside the box, and while Ashour could have scored from the rebound, his subsequent shot sailed off-target.

Belgium registered their first shot on target after the 62nd minute, but De Bruyne's effort lacked power, allowing Egyptian goalkeeper Shobeir to make an easy save.

In the 65th minute, Belgium manager Rudi Garcia substituted Romelu Lukaku into the match, which immediately shifted their fortunes.

Within seconds of stepping onto the pitch, Lukaku attempted to connect with an incoming cross. In an effort to clear the ball, defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently deflected it into his own net, bringing Belgium level through an own goal.

In the 83rd minute, the Egyptian goalkeeper pulled off a fine save to deny another well-targeted free-kick from De Bruyne. Brandon Mechele attempted a header from the rebound, but the keeper rescued his side once again.

Late in the match, in the 89th minute, Egypt appealed heavily for a penalty after Zizo went down inside the box, but the referee turned down the claims. Consequently, the match concluded in a 1–1 draw.