Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1 in their FIFA World Cup Group G opener Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle, with Romelu Lukaku's second-half introduction helping force the Mohamed Hany own goal that rescued Belgium after Emam Ashour had put Egypt ahead.
ESPN's scoreboard marked gameId 760426 as full time, and its event summary listed the attendance at 66,775. Ashour scored in the 20th minute from Mohamed Salah's assist before Hany's 66th-minute own goal brought Belgium level.
Ashour Gives Egypt The First-Half Lead
Egypt's opener came from range. ESPN's key event log described Ashour's goal as a right-footed shot from outside the box to the bottom-left corner, assisted by Salah.
The goal gave Egypt a 1-0 halftime lead and gave Belgium an uncomfortable start to a group-stage match they entered with Kevin De Bruyne and Salah carrying much of the pregame attention. ESPN's box score showed the match finishing evenly enough to explain the draw: Belgium had 15 shots and Egypt had 14, with each side putting three on target.
Lukaku Changes The Equalizer Without Scoring
Lukaku did not get the goal credited to him, but ESPN's report made his role in Belgium's equalizer clear. The striker entered in the second half and his movement helped create the pressure that led Hany to turn the ball into his own net in the 66th minute.
The timing mattered for Belgium because the match had been drifting toward an opening loss. ESPN reported that Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said after the game that Lukaku is not ready to start yet, framing the striker's current value as a substitute who can change the penalty-area problem quickly.
Belgium still did not turn the equalizer into a winner. Mostafa Shoubir made three saves for Egypt, while Thibaut Courtois made two for Belgium. Egypt also won seven corners to Belgium's two, a reminder that the result was not only about Belgian pressure after the break.
Group G Opens With Shared Points
The draw leaves both teams with one point from their Group G opener. ESPN's event information listed Ramon Abatti Abel as referee and Lumen Field as the venue.
For Belgium, the useful part is that a second-half adjustment prevented a damaging opening defeat. The harder part is just as plain: a favored team needed an own goal to avoid starting the World Cup with nothing.
Egypt leave Seattle with a point, a Salah-created goal and a defensive performance that held after the equalizer. That is enough substance for an opening match, even if the own goal kept it from becoming a larger result.