BelgiumvsEgypt

Result

Egypt led for almost an hour through Emam Ashour's superb long-range opener on 19 minutes, and looked set for a first World Cup win until Romelu Lukaku changed it. Seconds after coming on, the substitute striker forced the equaliser — Thomas Meunier's cross turned into his own net by Mohamed Hany on 66 — and Belgium escaped Seattle with a point. The Red Devils edged the shot count 15-14, but a disciplined Egypt, well marshalled around Salah, will rue not holding on.

Belgium 4-2-3-14-2-3-1 Egypt

Belgium

Egypt

Mohamed Hany (o.g.)66'

Emam Ashour19'

54%Possession46%

15Shots14

3On target3

2Saves3

2Corners7

391Passes completed323

86%Pass accuracy81%

17Tackles28

31Touches in box27

At this Stage

One round in, Group G is a four-way dead heat: both matches drawn, every team on one point, the standings ordered only by goals scored — which files Belgium and Egypt, authors of Seattle's 1-1, beneath the 2-2 IR Iran and New Zealand traded in Los Angeles. Egypt will replay theirs longest: Emam Ashour's long-range opener kept a first World Cup win in view for nearly an hour, until Lukaku's introduction forced the equaliser within seconds. Belgium's golden generation, at what is likely its last World Cup together, out-shot Egypt 15-14 and still needed the bench to rescue the point. No one is through, no one is buried, and the group's only verdict so far is that it intends to be difficult. Early days — emphasis on early.

Group G

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
IR Iran	1	0	1	0	+0	1
New Zealand	1	0	1	0	+0	1
Belgium	1	0	1	0	+0	1
Egypt	1	0	1	0	+0	1

Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.

What we know now

What I said beforehand

The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.

Belgium to edge it. Rudi Garcia's side carry the deeper, more decorated squad — Courtois behind, De Bruyne pulling the strings, Doku's pace and Lukaku up top — and rank ninth to Egypt's 29th in FIFA's list. But this is a tougher opener than the gap suggests: Egypt are organised, compact, and have a world-class out-ball in Mohamed Salah, while Lukaku is short of match sharpness after an injury-hit season. The likeliest script is Belgium with the ball, Egypt defending deep and threatening on the break — Red Devils by a single goal, 2-1.

Both cases written 2026-06-14, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 26% belongs to the draw.