The Great Escape: Belgium Saved by an Own Goal as Underdog Egypt Stuns the Heavyweights in a 1-1 Draw

With Group G in sight, there wasn’t much doubt about the storyline. Being a team filled with gifted players and one of the favorite nations to feature at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in what would prove to be a memorable performance, it was believed that Belgium would breeze past their opponents from Egypt.

It turns out that the beautiful game isn’t about statistics, as the Egyptians managed to pull off an amazing 1-1 draw against the European superpowers. The Pharaohs didn’t just hold their own on the field but completely dominated their counterparts, who were fortunate enough to leave with a point in hand.

From the very first second of the match, Egypt proved their utter fearlessness in facing the star-studded squad of Belgium. With a tight-knit formation in midfield, they were able to completely neutralize the attacking threat posed by Kevin De Bruyne as well as his teammate Jérémy Doku’s lightning-fast runs.

This fearless play resulted in an absolutely marvelous goal in the 19th minute of the match. In a beautifully executed combination of solid defending that led to possession recovery for Egypt, Mohamed Salah managed to find some space in the Belgian box and delivered an incredible pass to Emam Ashour, who buried an unstoppable strike past the outstretched Thibaut Courtois.

It is important to note that this goal came as a result of Egypt’s superior tactical performance in the first half. Belgium had the majority of ball possession but were completely devoid of any attacking capabilities.

Aware that his team was facing a potentially catastrophic defeat right from their first match, Belgian coach Rudi Garcia had to make a change, sending on big and strong player Romelu Lukaku in the 65th minute.

The move brought instant results, but not because the Belgians scored thanks to their superb finishing skills. Seconds after being brought on, Lukaku's presence inside the box made the Egyptians panic, leading to one of the most frustrating own goals in World Cup history when Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany pushed the ball into his own net in the 66th minute, thus equalizing the match at 1-1.

It was a sad story for the Africans. Without such an own goal, there was no way the Red Devils could have done anything better than defend their 1-0 lead, as their best attempt at scoring a second goal was stopped by solid Egyptian defense in the very end of the game.

However, it was not the favored Belgians but rather the underdogs from Egypt who were cheered by the spectators in Seattle at the end of the match. The team is still struggling for its first ever triumph in the World Cup; yet, their courage against one of the best teams in Europe has opened up Group G.

Sportscape thinks that despite managing to get away with just a draw and their unbeaten run remaining intact after 13 matches, the Belgians’ performance today has revealed major flaws and those need urgent attention if they wish to go ahead in the tournament.