Egypt pushes Belgium to the limit in gritty draw

Egypt's Mohamed Salah gestures as he speaks to his teammates during the World Cup Group G soccer match between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle. (AP)

SEATTLE, June 16 (AP): Romelu Lukaku’s entrance as a second-half substitute drew a standing ovation from the smattering of Belgium supporters.

It took only 23 seconds to turn those hopeful cheers into raptures of euphoria.

Lukaku's presence sparked an immediate attack that led to Belgium’s lone goal against Egypt on Monday, helping to earn a 1-1 draw in the team's opening World Cup match.

"He’s a target man,” Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said. "He needs to build up his fitness, which is understandable after being out for the season. But he helps us in this way.”

Lukaku, a Napoli striker who leads his nation in goals scored, withdrew from Belgium’s friendlies in the United States in the spring to get fitter as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. That injury didn't look too bothersome in the 66th minute when he ran down the middle of the field moments after entering the game and lurched to tap a cross from the right into the net. Egypt defender Mohamed Hany got there first, however, and scored an own-goal to even the score.

With 66,775 spectators watching, the Egyptians took the lead early in the Group G match. Emam Ashour scored his first international goal in the 19th minute.

If not for Lukaku's impact in the second half, Belgium easily could have dug itself into quite a hole in a group it is heavily favored to win, much as it did when failing to advance past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Despite out-possessing Egypt, the Red Devils struggled to score all afternoon.