The Belgian team proactively pushed forward right after the opening whistle, creating many dangerous attacking situations towards the Egyptian goal. However, against Egypt's tightly organized defense, the Belgian strikers were unable to convert their opportunities into goals.
Meanwhile, Egypt opted for a frustratingly defensive counter-attacking style of play. In the 19th minute, Mohamed Salah provided a perfect assist for Emam Ashour, who unleashed a decisive shot from outside the penalty area, beating goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to open the scoring for the North African side.
The goal boosted Egypt's confidence, while Belgium continuously increased the pressure in search of an equalizer. Despite dominating possession for the remainder of the first half, coach Rudi Garcia's players were unable to break through their opponents' solid defense and went into halftime trailing by one goal.
In the second half, aiming to strengthen the attack, coach Rudi Garcia decided to bring Romelu Lukaku onto the field. This adjustment quickly paid off in the 66th minute. From an attacking situation, Lukaku made a powerful run into the penalty area, putting pressure on defender Mohamed Hany, causing him to score an own goal, helping Belgium equalize the score at 1-1.
In the remaining minutes of the match, both teams strived to find the decisive goal. The Belgian team continuously increased the pressure on the Egyptian goal, but the red-shirted strikers were unable to successfully capitalize on the opportunities created. Conversely, Egypt also had some sharp counter-attacks but could not convert them into goals.
Ultimately, Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1. This result gave the African representatives a valuable point against the top contender in Group G of the 2026 World Cup, and also made the race for a place in the knockout round more exciting as both teams still have matches against Iran and New Zealand.