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Outstanding performance by Hossam Hassan’s battalion that raises the ceiling of Egyptian expectations
When you’re facing a team ranked 9th in the world and featuring names like Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Docu, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku, a draw can seem like a positive result. But what the Egyptian national team presented in the 2026 World Cup opener against Belgium evokes a different feeling. Egypt went out with a point, but came closer to coming away with an important win.
The final score (1-1) does not fully reflect what happened on the field. From a tactical and organizational point of view, Egypt produced one of their most complete performances, especially in the first half, in recent years and forced Belgium to abandon their usual strengths and scatter their cards.
Excellent match by Hossam Hasan
Hossam Hasan opted to play Zico on the right front, Emam Ashour on the left, while Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush moved forward in substitute roles.
The secret of the success of the plan was not in the tactical design, but in the implementation. Egypt defended moderately and with relative excellence away from the penalty area, preventing Belgium from settling the ball in the middle third.
Neither De Bruyne nor Onana were given the usual time and space to build play, and Belgium were repeatedly forced to resort to wide wings or direct balls. Most importantly, the Egyptian team did not defend negatively. When the ball was lost the initial pressure was strong and when it was regained the transitions were quick and organized through Salah, Marmoush, Zico and Ashour, giving Egypt a real attacking presence without simply hiding the ball.
Also read: Egypt bring back memories of Algeria against Belgium
Imam Ashur… the key to breakthrough
The goal was not just a brilliant strike. The shot was the result of a clear tactical thought, Imam Ashour instead of sticking to the line, invaded the halves and the Belgian depth. The moves flummoxed Belgium and led to their own goal, set up by Mohamed Salah after 19 minutes, with a rocket that rattled the Red Devils’ net and shook the confidence of Courtois and his teammates in equal measure.
Defensively, Imam also played a key role as he kept dropping back to support Ahmed Fatouh, sometimes turning into a fifth player in the back line during periods of Belgian pressure.
Courage, not despair. movement magic without the ball
One of the most important impressions from the game was that Egypt did not play with a “survival” mentality. Zico’s strike to shut out Courtois, Emam Ashour’s chances and repeated runs from Salah and Marmoush all confirmed that the team came into the game to compete rather than simply resist.
Many post-match reactions felt that Egypt were the better team for a long time and that they wasted enough chances to settle the match.
If there is another technical title for the match, it is “Movement without the ball”. Egypt constantly closed the corners of the transfer, not allowing the Belgian footballers to make a free turn in the center of the field. Mohamed Hani found constant support from Zico in front of Doko, while Fatuh received continuous coverage from Emam Ashour and Hamdi Fathi. This discipline made Belgium look sloppy in the first half, and the European team even finished the first 45 minutes without imposing their usual control or creating the expected number of dangerous chances. It can be said that Egypt played the first half close to tactical perfection.
Instant kick.. Lukaku changed the scene
What the Egyptian national team succeeded in the first half, became more difficult in the second half. The arrival of Romelu Lukaku gave Belgium a completely different dimension. Suddenly the Belgians had an attacking repertoire inside the area, and crosses and direct passes began to gain more value. Belgium scored less than a minute after he came on as his pressure and physical presence caused confusion inside the area which ended with Mohamed Hani’s own goal. De Bruyne’s moves from deep also became more effective at that stage, and some spaces began to appear that did not exist before the break.
Also read: La Roja disgraced…a surprising night for the Cape Verdean keeper
Schubert… the man of defining moments
If Hossam Hasan was tactically the best of the match and Emam Ashour was officially his man, then Mustafa Schubert was his man on the field. The Egyptian goalkeeper blocked some impressive attempts at crucial moments and kept the team balanced during periods of Belgian pressure. His presence gave a lot of confidence to the defense line, especially when the tempo of the Belgian attack increased in the last half hour.
On the other hand, the successful changes were among the points counted for the technical staff, because they were very logical and consistent with the course of the match. The departure of Imam Ashour after his physical efforts diminished, the inclusion of Rami Rabia with the entry of Lukaku, and the giving of Zizou roles similar to those played by Zico in defence, are all decisions that have maintained the overall balance of the team. Even substituting Salah after 75 minutes was understandable in light of the great effort he put in, after playing a key role as a stopper in attacking transitions and playing between the lines.
Also read: After Morocco… Cape Verde dedicates the African hub to Spain
The most important message
Apart from the result, the Egyptian team sent a very important message to the rest of the group in this match. The team not only faced Belgium, but also competed with them and imposed its personality for a long time.
In temperatures of around 31 degrees Celsius and in front of more than 66,000 spectators, the Egyptian team played with complete honesty against one of the strongest teams in Europe and created enough chances to score the second goal that would have killed the match. Therefore, a tie is not just a point in the ranking table, but rather an important technical indicator; Egypt appeared organized, bold, able to defend and attack together, and most importantly, appeared as a team that knows what it wants from the match. If it maintains this level against Iran and New Zealand, the talk will be not just about making it to the first round, but rather about a team capable of troubling any opponent in the qualifiers.
