Egypt and Belgium Draw After Own Goal in World Cup

Egypt and Belgium drew 1-1 in a World Cup group stage match on Monday.

Egypt took the lead in the first half. In the 19th minute, Emam Ashour received a pass from Mohamed Salah and fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom left corner (1-0). Egypt had another good chance in the 33rd minute when Mostafa Ziko's effort was saved by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium intensified their attack in the second half. Kevin De Bruyne's free kick hit the left post in the 53rd minute. After two substitutions in the 56th minute, Romelu Lukaku entered the field in the 66th. Under pressure from Lukaku, Egyptian defender Mohamed Hani deflected a cross from the right into his own net in the 66th minute, leveling the score at 1-1.

Belgium continued to push for a winner. Thomas Meunier and Brandon Mechele had chances saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Ufa Shobeir, and Lukaku's header went over the bar in the 87th minute.

This was the first meeting between the two sides in the World Cup; previous matches were friendlies.

Earlier on Monday, Cape Verde and Spain played a 0-0 draw in Group H. Later matches include Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in Group H and Iran vs. New Zealand in Group G.

This is the first World Cup featuring 48 teams, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.