Belgium vs Egypt FIFA World Cup Match Result: Belgium escape Egypt scare, avoid major upset after Lukaku’s instant impact

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (9) celebrates a goal with teammates during the World Cup Group G match against Egypt. (AP photo) Belgium narrowly avoided an embarrassing start to their World Cup campaign as Romelu Lukaku’s immediate impact salvaged a 1-1 draw against Egypt in a tense Group G encounter on Monday.With the Red Devils staring at a shock defeat, Lukaku came off the bench to fire home the equalizer within 23 seconds of his introduction to help Belgium survive a major upset in front of 66,775.

Lukaku changes the game after just 23 seconds

The Napoli striker, returning from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for much of the season, received a standing ovation from the Belgian fans after coming on in the 66th minute. Moments later he shot through the middle and stretched to meet a cross from the right. Egypt defender Mohamed Hany got to the ball first but inadvertently deflected it into his own net to cancel out Egypt’s earlier strike.“He’s a target man,” Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said. “He needs to build up his fitness, which is understandable after the off-season. But he helps us in that way.”Belgium’s escape prevented a repeat of the disastrous start that saw them eliminated from the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Egypt threatens one of the biggest surprises

Egypt looked the sharper side during the opening period and deservedly took the lead in the 19th minute through Emam Ashour, who capitalized on a defensive lapse to score his first international goal on his 30th appearance.The Pharaohs played aggressively and with intensity, causing repeated problems for the Belgian defense and leaving coach Rudi Garcia’s men lucky to be a single goal behind at the break.“The match shows that we were closer to winning,” said Egypt coach Hossam Hassan.Despite having more possession, Belgium lacked fluidity and struggled to create clear openings. Kevin De Bruyne went closest before half-time with a shot that trickled wide and later rattled the left post in the 53rd minute.Lukaku himself almost completed the turn late on, but his header flew over the crossbar.

Veterans come to the aid of Belgium

The draw highlighted Belgium’s continued reliance on experienced stars such as De Bruyne, Lukaku and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, all appearing in their fourth World Cup.Winger Jérémy Doku provided much of Belgium’s attacking spark in the first half, but the side lacked urgency and movement.“Our biggest challenge was about us,” Tielemans admitted. “We were losing too many balls, we weren’t quick enough in transition and when we had the ball we weren’t finding solutions. We were too static, especially in the first half.”Coach Garcia echoed those concerns.“We weren’t really in the thick of things,” Garcia said. “Technically, we left a lot.Only 20 percent of Belgium’s attempts were on target, leading Garcia to conclude that the solitary goal accurately reflected his team’s performance.However, the Belgian manager remains optimistic and even named Belgium and Egypt as the strongest sides in Group G, which also includes New Zealand and Iran.Attention now shifts to Sunday’s clash with Iran, with Garcia making his expectations clear.“We have to win against Iran,” he said. “There are no two ways about it.