An own goal in the second half of their first Group G 2026 World Cup opener on Monday denied Egypt victory over Belgium, as they played out a 1-1 draw at Lumen Field in Seattle, U.S.

On his 34th birthday, Mohamed Salah provided an assist for their goal by Emam Ashour, in the 19th minute, before substitute Romelu Lukaku forced Egypt’s Mohamed Hany into an own goal, in the 66th minute.

While the seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions are still waiting for their first-ever World Cup victory after four editions they’ve participated in, it was their first time ever taking the lead in a World Cup match for 29 minutes, and they have only kept one clean sheet.

They will be facing Iran and New Zealand in their second and third group matches as they hope to secure passage to the knockout phase.

Egypt and Barcelona 18-year-old forward Hamza Abdelkarim, after the encounter, said, “We know Belgium are a good team, good quality players, but we can’t say it was the hardest game or the easiest game. Every game for us has got to be three points.”