PUBLISHED : 16 Jun 2026 at 04:45
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku celebrates their first goal, an own goal scored by Egypt’s Mohamed Hany. REUTERS
SEATTLE: Egypt’s hopes of a first-ever World Cup win were dashed by an own goal from defender Mohamed Hany in a 1-1 draw with Belgium in their Group G opener on Monday.
Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute through a powerful strike from outside the box by midfielder Emam Ashour, his first international goal.
Belgium pressed for an equaliser in the second half before the introduction of Romelu Lukaku in the 66th minute. A little more than 20 seconds later, Hany diverted a cross into his own net under pressure from the big striker.
The other two teams in Group G, Iran and New Zealand, meet in Los Angeles later on Monday.