Romelu Lukaku rescues Belgium in crucial World Cup draw against Egypt
Substitute Romelu Lukaku made an immediate impact to help Belgium salvage a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their opening World Cup fixture in Seattle.
The veteran striker was introduced in the second half with his side trailing to Emam Ashour’s early strike.
Just 23 seconds after coming on, the Napoli forward forced Mohamed Hany into conceding an own goal to level the scoreline.
It was a decisive intervention from a player whom head coach Rudi Garcia had described as being out of shape before the tournament began.
Salah shines on milestone birthday
The group stage encounter had originally been billed as a showdown between two modern footballing icons in Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne.
Celebrating his 34th birthday, the former Liverpool talisman led his nation out carrying the heavy burden of historic expectation.
Despite their immense pedigree in African football, the Pharaohs are still searching for their first ever victory at a World Cup finals.
Their legendary captain orchestrated the opening breakthrough after 21 minutes by teeing up Ashour for a superb finish.
The underdog side thoroughly deserved their lead, relentlessly harrying the European favourites and forcing Thibaut Courtois into several crucial first-half saves.
Experience proves vital for struggling favourites
Head coach Hossam Hassan had praised his squad’s readiness to compete on the global stage prior to kick-off.
“We haven’t been showing up as frequently as other teams, but now we have a generation who belong on this stage.”
While Salah orchestrated the Egyptian attack, his former Chelsea team-mate De Bruyne struggled to break down a resolute defence.
The Manchester City playmaker rattled the post with a curling second-half free-kick before both star captains were substituted.
Ultimately, it fell to one of the last remaining bastions of Belgium’s golden generation to alter the course of the match.
The physical target man arrived in North America having played just 69 minutes of Serie A football this season.
However, his immediate disruption of the Egyptian backline provided the focal point his struggling nation had desperately lacked.
