Omar Marmoush and Jeremy Doku both featured as Egypt and Belgium shared a thrilling 1-1 draw at the World Cup in an encounter played under hot conditions at Seattle Stadium.
Both sides had to cope with temperatures close to 30 degrees Celsius on a bright afternoon, with Belgium making the stronger start. Jeremy Doku was heavily involved early on, dictating play as the Red Devils pressed for an opening goal.
Despite Belgium’s dominance, Egypt struck first in the 19th minute when Emam Ashour unleashed a superb long-range effort to give his side the lead with their first real attempt of the game.
After the break, Egypt continued to pose a threat on the counterattack, with Omar Marmoush leading several dangerous transitions. The Manchester City forward almost doubled the advantage in the 59th minute, but a slight challenge from defender Nathan Ngoy disrupted his shot. He remained lively moments later, forcing another scare for the Belgian backline after a deflected effort went narrowly wide.
Belgium eventually restored parity in the 66th minute when substitute Romelu Lukaku met a cross from Thomas Meunier, with the resulting pressure leading to an own goal from Egypt defender Mohamed Hany.
The game remained open in the final stages, with both teams pushing for a winner, but neither side could find the decisive breakthrough as the match ended level at 1-1.
Belgium will now turn their attention to their next fixture against Iran on Sunday, June 21, while Egypt face New Zealand on Monday, June 22.
