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Belgium defender Brandon Micheli admitted his side were not at the level they needed in the first half against Egypt, but also acknowledged the Red Devils’ success in reducing the threat of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmouche in the 1-1 draw at the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt took the lead through Imam Ashour before Belgium equalized in the second half to earn a point in their Group Seven opener.
Micheli said in statements quoted after the meeting Flash Score NetworkBelgium were light on shots in the first half, giving the Egyptians a clear advantage in most possessions.
He added: “In the two-way confrontations, we were too soft and lost too many, we were also sloppy with the ball, so we couldn’t impose our rhythm on the match.”
Club Brugge’s defender noted that Belgium’s game improved significantly after the break, explaining: “There was more excitement in the second half, we became more aggressive and played at a higher speed.”
Although his side settled for a draw, Micheli believes Belgium deserved the three points based on their performance in the second half.
“It’s a shame we didn’t win, but I think we deserved the three points given what we did in the second half.”
The Belgian spoke about the special confrontation he had with the stars of the Egyptian national team, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, stressing that the defender managed to limit their danger.
He explained. “Working with Nathan Nagwi was great and we managed to counter Salah and Marmoush as their influence on the Egyptian game was very limited.”
“We were well organized, especially in the second half, and the whole team positioned themselves well defensively.”
According to the statistics, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmouche had only one shot on target in the entire match, which Michel saw as a testament to the success of the Belgian defense in containing the Pharaohs’ most prominent attacking weapons.
Belgium are set to face Iran in the second round of the group stage, while Egypt will face New Zealand in a match that could be key to qualifying for the second round.
