Egypt came agonisingly close to writing a historic new chapter on Monday evening, only to be denied their first ever World Cup victory as Belgium snatched a 1-1 draw through a Romelu Lukaku-inspired equaliser in their Group G opener at Seattle Stadium — extending a painful wait that stretches back 92 years.
It was Mohamed Salah who orchestrated the breakthrough, feeding Emam Ashour on the edge of the box in the 19th minute. Ashour cut inside and unleashed a clinical strike into the bottom-left corner from 20 yards — a goal of the highest quality on the grandest of stages.
Egypt defended with tremendous organisation and resolve for much of the contest. Belgium struggled to break down the Pharaohs’ disciplined defensive block for large portions of the match, failing to register a single shot on target in the entire first half. Kevin De Bruyne curled a free-kick against the left-hand post in the 53rd minute, leaving Belgium increasingly frustrated.
Then came the moment that broke Egyptian hearts. Lukaku, Belgium’s all-time top scorer, made an immediate impact off the bench — forcing Mohamed Hany into an own-goal equaliser just 22 seconds after coming on. His mere presence in the penalty area caused the chaos that undid all of Egypt’s hard work.
Belgium could not find a winner thereafter, and the Pharaohs will reflect bitterly on what might have been.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan had built his side on defensive discipline throughout an unbeaten qualifying campaign in which they conceded just two goals across ten matches, and those qualities were on full display in Seattle. Yet the final reward proved elusive once again.
The Pharaohs made history in 1934 by becoming the first African country to play at a FIFA World Cup, held in Italy. Yet their debut ended in disappointment, a 4-2 defeat to Hungary in the round of 16, with forward Abdelrahman Fawzi scoring twice to become the first African player to score at a World Cup.
It took 56 years for Egypt to return to the tournament. At the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, the Pharaohs showed defensive discipline but still failed to register a win, drawing 1-1 with the Netherlands, holding Ireland to a goalless draw, and losing 1-0 to England, finishing bottom of their group.
Their third appearance came at Russia 2018, where they lost 1-0 to Uruguay, 3-1 to hosts Russia, and 2-1 to Saudi Arabia, exiting with zero points. Mohamed Salah scored twice in the tournament but could not help his side secure that historic first win.
Across all three World Cup appearances, Egypt have played seven matches, recorded zero wins, two draws and five losses — a remarkable statistic for a nation that has won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times.
Monday evening in Seattle felt like the moment that would finally change all of that but it did not materialise.
Egypt’s wait for a first World Cup win will surely come in their next two Group G games based on this evidence, and with Salah still returning to full fitness, the Pharaohs may yet have more to give.
