Egypt are still waiting for a World Cup win 92 years after their first appearance as Romelu Lukaku took just 23 seconds to go from the bench to causing chaos in the box, forcing an equaliser for Belgium.
Emam Ashour’s 19th-minute opener was a fine low strike from outside the box and was followed by strutting celebration after which he was knocked to the turf by a team-mate.
There were more Egypt players on the floor soon after Lukaku appeared as a 66th-minute substitute as he burst onto Thomas Meunier’s low cross and defender Mohamed Hany poked the ball into his own goal for 1-1.
The Athletic’s Simon Hughes, Greg O’Keeffe and Mark Carey break down the key talking points.
Can Lukaku and Belgium’s old guard still cut it?
It looked like the sands of time had shifted to leave Belgium’s old guard behind.
Kevin De Bruyne laboured, mis-kicked and hit the post as his team struggled to get back into this contest.
But where one Napoli star struggled, another reminded everyone that you can’t write off the Red Devils’ veterans just yet.
Shortly after De Bruyne’s big miss just after the hour-mark, on came club-mate Lukaku. Twenty three seconds later the big striker had made his mark, using all his trademark power and presence to force an equaliser through a spooked Hany’s own goal.
How Romelu Lukaku left Egypt’s players on the deck (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Lukaku had been left on the bench, with Charles De Ketelaere, a striker eight years his junior, preferred as the focal point up front.
But the Atalanta forward struggled to click, only touching the ball in Egypt’s box four times in a laboured overall display before head coach Rudi Garcia made some changes.
Injury might have limited Lukaku to just five Serie A appearances last season. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old is Belgium’s all-time leading scorer, and his muscle memory fired at the perfect time to make the equaliser happen.
Lukaku may not be a regular starter for his country anymore — and he should have scored with a late header. But when it mattered he was the definition of an impact sub — and proof that the combination of his fresh legs and big tournament nous can’t be overlooked.
Greg O’Keeffe
How does Egypt’s wait for a win compare?
Belgium’s equaliser means that Egypt are still yet to win a game at the World Cup, having played their first match in the competition in 1934.
The 92 years they have gone without tasting victory is the second-longest among teams never to have won a game at the World Cup, behind Bolivia’s 96 years.
This was the Egyptians’ eighth game at the World Cup overall, following one game in 1934, three in 1990 and three in 2018. They have, unsurprisingly, been knocked out in the first round in every previous tournament.
Hossam Hassan’s side do still have to play New Zealand and Iran in Group G at this World Cup, so will be hopeful of finally ending their drought at some point this month.
Will Jeanes
What was Ashour’s celebration?
Picture the scene: you’ve just scored your first goal for your country in their World Cup opener, a stone-cold stunner past arguably the world’s best goalkeeper. You better have a decent celebration lined-up.
Ashour certainly did.
The Al-Ahly winger lit-up the first half at Lumen Field with his sumptuous first touch from Mohamed Salah’s pass, bettered only by that thundering finish beyond Belgium and Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois.
EGYPT HAS ITS FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇪🇬
Emam Ashour makes it 1-0 over Belgium! pic.twitter.com/IKIhKzAbXJ
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 15, 2026
Ashour, who has form for colourful celebrations, duly delivered his own take on either Wrestling icon Vince McMahon’s ‘Billionaire Strut’ or UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s rendition, glaring at the TV camera.
Emam Ashour celebrates with the ‘Billionaire Strut’ (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Pride came before a fall though — a split second later he was tasting turf as over-excited team-mate Mostafa Ziko barged into him from behind, sending the goalscorer sprawling to the grass.
He’s then bumped into by his team-mate (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
And ends up with a face full of turf (Getty Images)
It was a memorable moment that will likely grace a few highlight reels of the tournament, even at such an early stage.
Ashour isn’t prolific, he only scored twice for his club in the league last season, but when he is on the mark he is good value. Previous celebrations have included copying Milan star Christopher Nkunku’s balloon blowing novelty, and his international team-mate Salah’s iconic yoga pose.
Nobody could begrudge his showboating after that moment of inspiration, even after he later dragged a good chance so wide it ran for a throw-in.
Greg O’Keeffe
How was Salah’s birthday?
Salah celebrated his 34th birthday on Monday and for the first time in nine years there seems to be a bit of raw uncertainty about where his life is heading.
His impending departure from Liverpool means the World Cup is an especially important tournament for him because it offers the chance to show what he can still offer.
When you roll in the reality that Egypt had never won a World Cup fixture and to some extent, he is judged against this because he did not change that record eight years ago in Russia, it all adds up to rather a lot resting on the next few weeks.
Belgium, in theory, posed Egypt’s biggest challenge in Group G. New Zealand and Iran follow.
Salah could not afford for the game to pass him by, as it has at Liverpool too often in recent times, but he was heavily involved in Egypt’s attacking play here, having been positioned in the No 10 role, rather than on the right.
He would affect the game in real terms because Egypt’s goal came from his assist. Yet there were subtler details that underpinned his performance because his movement was clearly a cause for concern for Belgium’s holding midfielders.
Usually, as Egypt’s captain, he stays on the pitch until the end but he was substituted with 15 minutes to go. It felt like a conservative decision by Hassan following Belgium’s equaliser. Ultimately for Egypt, a 1-1 draw was a result worth protecting.
Simon Hughes
Why didn’t Belgium put more players in the box?
Belgian fans will be sick to their back teeth of the continued discussion of their famed “golden generation”, but their latest iteration is notable when contrasting with their squads of yesteryear.
Attacking midfielder De Ketelaere was named as the centre forward, with the 25-year-old’s strengths not being a back-to-goal striker, but rather linking with his team-mates and arriving into the box on his own terms from deeper or wider positions.
When you have a player like De Ketelaere leading your line, it comes with its own tactical considerations. When the team is operating well, the attack can look fluid and silky as players rotate around the front line.
When opponents frustrate you — as Egypt did for long periods — the attack can look blunt and toothless, with a lack of focal point meaning there is no out-and-out striker to complement the creativity of Jeremy Doku, De Bruyne and friends.
Belgium looked to a 33-year-old Lukaku off the bench, who had managed just five appearances and precisely zero starts for Napoli in Serie A this season. Injuries have plagued Lukaku this season, but his place in the squad is emblematic of where Belgium’s attack is at the moment.
Too often, Belgium found themselves in forward areas after pushing Egypt into their own defensive third, but did not capitalise with bodies in the penalty area who were willing to attack any potential cross. Within seconds of Lukaku’s arrival, that changed as Belgium’s all-time top goalscorer attacked the six-yard box to force the own goal by Hany.
Yes, Garcia’s side still have a solid midfield foundation and strong options in attacking wide areas, but there is a reason why people do still discuss Belgium’s golden generation — perhaps because they have not fully established a new one.
Mark Carey
Is Hassan is more than a motivator?
There were two reasons why Hossam Hassan was selected as Rui Vitoria’s successor as manager of Egypt in 2024.
The first was because he was popular — he is Egypt’s all-time leading scorer, he tended to say it like it is in his role as a pundit and he could motivate the players, making them realise how important it was to represent their country, as he had 176 times, placing him second on the appearance list.
It helped that Hassan was also cheap. The Egyptian pound was struggling and the country’s football association did not think it could afford to bring in a foreign coach.
It was the fourteenth post of Hassan’s somewhat undistinguished coaching career, at least, when you compare it to the one he had as a player who represented both of Cairo’s biggest clubs, Al Ahly and Zamalek.
He was not thought of as a particularly deep thinker. Yet when you’ve been in the game for as long as he has (he made his professional debut in 1984), you pick up a few things, and over the last six months especially he has shown a lot of flexibility in his tactics.
At the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt used three different formations en-route to the semi-final and here, against Belgium, he went for a few surprises, moving his attacking players around, with Salah playing as a No 10 and Ashour, normally in that role, playing off the left.
The result was Salah supplying Egypt’s opening goal, with Ashour scoring a wonderful sweeping shot, having darted in-field.
Aged 59, Hassan looks like he still knows his way around the streets and he deserves as much credit as anyone for helping get Egypt’s World Cup campaign off to a steady start.
Simon Hughes