For just over half of Egypt’s opening match against Belgium. it looked as though the Pharaohs had done enough for a famous first World Cup win. And then Rudi Garcia went to his bench. brought on the player Belgium have long relied on in thorny situations.
“Frankly, when you are the opponent. you see Romelu Lukaku entering the field, your confidence goes down and your anxiety increases,” Garcia said after the draw. While Lukaku himself did not score. his threat drew two defenders on to his first run into the box, which resulted in an equalising own goal to salvage a point from a closely fought contest.
Group G hotted up in earnest with presumptive frontrunners Belgium. Egypt opening their World Cup campaigns with a credible draw. A crowd of 66,775 watched on under the intense sun of the early North American summer. in a contest which warranted the contentious cooling breaks that have been universally adopted for this tournament.
The group’s headline clash was slated as a noon affair under a heat advisory in Seattle, with on-field temperatures of 30C (86F). high, hazy clouds at kick-off. There was scarcely an empty seat to be found, forming a sea of red. white owing to the teams’ similar colours.
Both sides tested the tolerance of the referee, Ramon Abatti, for contact and exchanged a pair of early yellow cards. As the match entered the 19th minute, Egypt found a breakthrough. A quick restart caught Belgium backpedalling into position as Egypt approached the final third. Some nifty right-sided buildup found Mohamed Salah, where he turned to his left and assessed.
Playing on his 34th birthday, Salah fizzed a pass to his left where Emam Ashour collected. cut toward the top of the D. The midfielder fired a shot underneath Thomas Meunier’s dangling leg. beyond a diving Thibaut Courtois, who had overcommitted to his left and was unable to stretch far enough to his right. It was a timely first international goal for the Al-Ahly midfielder on his 30th appearance.
The stands at Seattle Stadium physically rocked during the raucous celebration, a hallmark of the venue when it hosts American. association football alike (as well as Taylor Swift concerts ).
Belgium struggled to maximise their width for large portions of the first half. Egypt were proactive when closing down Jérémy Doku, often doubling-up on the winger whenever the ball went in his direction. On the opposite flank. Leandro Trossard often seemed in two minds about what to do in possession, having the ball taken off of him three times in the opening half hour.
After Ashour’s opener, Doku switched to the right where Egypt had fewer numbers. As first-half stoppage time loomed, passes and shots increased in desperation. A long-range effort from Kevin De Bruyne failed to enter the box. instead smacking the striker Charles De Ketelaere on the backside.
Doku tried a volley but shanked it well above the bar. Egypt nearly found a second with the half’s final action, but the last in a series of corners drifted above the scrum. tamely into open terrain.
As Belgium shot more speculatively, Egypt comported themselves with greater aspiration than sitting in a bunker. The Pharaohs broke on the counter when able. otherwise were content to have possession in midfield with its defence well stationed behind.
At last, in the 66th minute, Garcia put his team’s fate at Lukaku’s feet. It proved savvy. as a quick break by Meunier into the box for a close-range cross found Lukaku sliding between a pair of defenders in close proximity to Shobeir.
The ball went beyond Lukaku’s leg but caught the inside of Mohamed Hany’s boot. rolled into Egypt’s net, levelling the game just before the second-half drinks break.
The 33-year-old Lukaku only logged 40 minutes in Serie A for Napoli this season. raising concerns that Belgium’s record scorer would not be ready for this World Cup. Instead, it’s perhaps made a role off the bench more palatable for the veteran striker.
“We’re going far [this summer] with Romelu, so we have to go easy on him,” Garcia said. “The goal is to get as far as possible in this World Cup with a Romelu who doesn’t get hurt. I think that’s the first objective. And then if he plays this role of super sub. that every time he hits a goal, frankly, it’s going to be great.”
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