Egypt and Belgium shared the spoils in an entertaining encounter after a second-half own goal cancelled out Emma Ashour’s first-half opener, with the match ending all square following a fiercely contested 90 minutes.
Egypt made the breakthrough in the 19th minute when Emma Ashour finished off a well-crafted move. The goal was created by Mohamed Salah, whose incisive assist picked out Ashour, allowing the forward to fire Egypt into the lead and send the North Africans into the halftime break with a deserved advantage.
Belgium emerged from the interval determined to respond and eventually found their equaliser in the 66th minute. Freshly introduced substitute Romelu Lukaku made an immediate impact, powering between two Egyptian defenders before forcing a dangerous ball into the area. Under pressure, defender Mohammed Hany inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, bringing Belgium level.
Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, creating several promising opportunities. Belgium came agonisingly close on two occasions through Kevin De Bruyne, whose efforts rattled the goalpost twice, leaving the Red Devils frustrated.
Despite the late pressure and chances at both ends, neither side could find the decisive breakthrough as the contest finished 1-1, with Egypt and Belgium each taking a point from a match filled with quality, intensity and drama.
