Seattle: An instant second-half impact from substitute Romelu Lukaku helped Belgium rescue a 1-1 draw against a disciplined Egypt side in their frantic FIFA World Cup Group G opener at the Seattle Stadium.

Domenico Tedesco’s side struggled to break down a well-drilled Egyptian unit early on. Egypt, playing on star forward Mohamed Salah’s 34th birthday, capitalised on a rusty Belgian start to break the deadlock in the 19th minute. Midfielder Emam Ashour collected an angled pass from Salah on the edge of the penalty box, took a sharp touch infield, and unleashed a sizzling drive past Thibaut Courtois into the back of the net to register his first-ever international goal.

Belgium mounted a serious response but repeatedly found themselves frustrated before the interval. Kevin De Bruyne rattled the post with a fine effort in the 53rd minute, whilst winger Jérémy Doku looked dangerous on the flank but lacked a clinical final ball. At the other end, Egypt remained a threat on the counter-attack, with Omar Marmoush flashing a dangerous right-footed shot just wide of the post after sprinting clean through the Belgian defence.

The game turned entirely in the 65th minute when Tedesco introduced Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku in place of Charles De Ketelaere. It took just 22 seconds for the forward to make a telling contribution. Thomas Meunier delivered a blistering, low cross into the six-yard box targeting Lukaku; under immense pressure, Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany inadvertently deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, to level the scoreline.

The final quarter of the match saw Belgium push relentlessly for a winning goal. In the 82nd minute, Youri Tielemans whipped a precise cross onto the head of Brandon Mechele, but Shobeir produced a world-class leaping save to his left to tip the goalbound header away. Despite late tactical substitutions from both managers and five minutes of frantic stoppage time, Egypt’s deep defensive block held firm to claim a historic point in Washington.