Own goal denies Egypt famous win as Belgium salvage World Cup draw

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Belgium escaped defeat in their opening FIFA World Cup Group G match after an unfortunate own goal by defender Mohamed Hany handed the European side a 1-1 draw against Egypt in a fiercely contested encounter on Sunday.

Egypt appeared on course for a famous victory over the world’s ninth-ranked team after a disciplined performance that saw them frustrate Belgium for long periods and take a deserved first-half lead.

The Pharaohs struck in the 19th minute when Emam Ashour latched onto a pass from captain Mohamed Salah before unleashing a powerful effort into the bottom corner beyond goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The goal rewarded Egypt’s positive approach and stunned the Belgian side, which had entered the contest as favourites.

Despite enjoying more possession and creating a series of chances through Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku, Belgium struggled to break down Egypt’s well-organised defence.

The Europeans came close to levelling shortly after the interval when De Bruyne struck the post from a free kick, while Egypt continued to threaten on the counterattack through Salah and Omar Marmoush.

However, the turning point arrived in the 66th minute. Under pressure from Belgium’s attack, Mohamed Hany inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to deal with a dangerous delivery, gifting Belgium an equaliser and denying Egypt what would have been a memorable victory.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages. Egypt goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir produced several outstanding saves, including a brilliant stop to deny Brandon Mechele’s close-range header, while Courtois was also called into action to keep the scores level.

The result leaves both teams with a point apiece in Group G and sets up an intriguing battle for qualification as the tournament progresses.

The match attracted a crowd of 66,775 spectators and provided one of the most dramatic contests of the tournament’s opening round.