SEATTLE — The game billed as Mohamed Salah vs. Kevin De Bruyne was instead swung by Romelu Lukaku, whose introduction just after halftime prompted an own goal that rescued a 1-1 draw for Belgium at Seattle Stadium.
On his 34th birthday, Salah set up Emam Ashour for the opener inside 21 minutes as Egypt, a nation that has never won a World Cup match, pressed a second-half challenge on the favored Belgians. Coach Hossam Hassan said, “We haven’t been showing up as frequently as other teams. But now we have a generation who belong on this stage.”
Egypt troubled Belgium throughout, with Mostafa Zico and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush forcing saves from Thibaut Courtois in the first half. Salah remained central to Egypt’s attacking play and had a header saved after the break; seconds earlier Kevin De Bruyne had rattled the post with a curling free kick from the edge of the area.
Lukaku’s influence arrived almost instantly. Twenty-three seconds after coming on, the veteran striker moved between two defenders and his movement caused Mohamed Hany to divert the ball into his own net. Head coach Rudi Garcia had described Lukaku as being “out of shape” on the eve of the tournament and acknowledged the striker’s fitness issues during his season with Napoli, when he played just 69 minutes due to injury.
Garcia conceded, “He can’t start a game,” adding, “Sixty-four minutes across the season doesn’t bode well for a World Cup.” He called Lukaku’s contribution “very positive,” said “the story has got a happy ending,” and suggested the forward could thrive as a “supersub”: “If he can play the supersub role and then score every time he comes on, that’s great.”
Belgium will rely on experience from players such as Lukaku and Courtois if they are to advance, after a performance in Seattle that the report described as, at times, uninspired.
