World Cup 2026: Ashour and Hamza show Egypt have a bright future beyond Salah
“A draw with a taste of victory” – that’s how Egypt’s opening World Cup game against Belgium is being described by pundits and fans at home after the Pharaohs produced an inspired, disciplined, and overall impressive performance on Monday afternoon in Seattle.
A first-half stunner from Emam Ashour gave the Egyptians the lead against a team positioned 20 spots higher than them in the Fifa rankings before a Mohamed Hany own goal, heavily influenced by the introduction of Romelu Lukaku, salvaged a point for the Belgians in the 66th minute.
Ashour, who deservedly earned Man of the Match honours, was visibly disappointed when addressing reporters after the game, which speaks volumes of how ambitious this group of Egyptians really are and how close they came to claiming their nation’s first World Cup victory.
“The players did a great job but we are all sad. We really wanted to win this match. We missed many opportunities. Thankfully we walk away with a point. This match is now over and we’ll have to start thinking of the next one,” said the Al Ahly midfielder.
“We have two of the best players in the world [Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush], which gives us lots of motivation. We didn’t come here to be guests of honour. We could have won today but it wasn’t meant to be. We’re hopeful we’ll make up for it in the next game [against New Zealand].”
A masterclass in quick transition
The Belgians predicted before the game that Egypt would be organised at the back and would rely on counter-attacks but they probably didn’t expect the Pharaohs would execute that plan to such perfection, bringing an attacking flair that was missing from their run to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals in January.
Salah and Marmoush provided speed that caused a headache for the Belgian defence, which allowed Ashour and Mostafa Zico to find pockets of space to threaten Thibaut Courtois’ net.
“It was a draw with a taste of victory. We had several chances to win this game. What I enjoyed the most today is that we had an attacking identity,” said former Egypt international Ahmed Hassan on On Sport.
“We know that we can defend well, but we were missing our offensive identity in the past and we really had it today. We had to make better use of our chances but we have become a team with a terrifying ability in transition. Our transitions are really dangerous.
“This game gives us confidence for what’s to come.”
Form matching ambition
The Egyptians have been talking a big game entering this World Cup, insisting they are not there just to make up the numbers but to compete and go as far as they can in the competition.
Monday’s performance indicates the players are walking the walk and not just talking the talk.
“This was Egypt’s best game in World Cup history,” said Egyptian football legend Mohamed Aboutrika on BeIN Sports.
“[Head coach] Hossam Hassan gave us a game for the history books.
“Can you believe that Egyptians are sad that they didn’t beat Belgium? Before the game, everyone was saying we’re gonna lose by three or four goals. But people are actually sad as if we lost, not tied. The ambition with Hossam Hassan has gone so far and he’s really doing a spectacular job.
“I’m highly confident in our team and I believe we will finish top of the group insha’Allah.”
Egypt boss Hassan said after the game that one of his key missions has been to instil in his players a feeling of “belonging” among the world’s best, which is why he insisted on facing giants like Spain and Brazil in friendlies ahead of the World Cup.
That strategy is paying off so far.
Salah substitution sparks debate as Hamza makes historic debut
Salah could not celebrate his birthday with the full three points but the “Egyptian King” played a good game before he was surprisingly subbed off in the 76th minute.
In a moment that carried a symbolic meaning, 18-year-old recent Barcelona recruit Hamza Abdelkarim came on for Salah to become the youngest Egyptian in history to play in a Fifa World Cup.
While it’s too soon for a changing of the guard among Egypt’s ranks, it will likely happen in the not-too-distant future and Abdelkarim is tipped to be handed over the baton from this generation.
“I think that Hamza has all the qualities you want to see in a player, physically and mentally. Not just his mentality but he also has great professionalism,” said Hassan in the post-game press conference of the teen striker.
“He is beyond his years. He is older than his age. He has a certain type of resilience during training, and he has a goal that he wants to achieve.”
As Abdelkarim got his first taste of World Cup action, many were shocked that it came at the expense of Salah, who up to that point had created the assist for Ashour, completed 17 of 18 passes, won three fouls, and created three chances.
The entire panel on MBC’s El Kora Ma3 Fayek, hosted by Ibrahim Fayek, felt Salah should have remained on the pitch, especially with the game tied at 1-1 and Egypt still searching for the victory.
Former Zamalek star Shikabala said Salah’s presence always carries a weight and is an intimidating factor for opposition, noting that Belgium made bolder moves once the former Liverpool man was taken off.
Former Ahly midfielder Mohamed Barakat agreed and said he never would have made that call had he been in charge.
Hassan defended his decision during his press conference and said: “Salah played very well. All the players played well. No one fell short. However, with the current temperature and the heat, we have to make changes as a way to energise the team, and also it depends on the circumstances of the game.”
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia was asked about the Salah substitution and guessed that the Egyptian “probably didn’t have 90 minutes in his legs”, especially in these warm conditions. He also backed Hassan and noted how Egypt were particularly dangerous towards the end of the game, after the Pharaohs boss had made substitutions, meaning they were ultimately effective.
Hany earns praise for neutralising Doku threat
Ahead of the game, Kevin de Bruyne backed his teammate Jeremy Doku and said “it’s almost impossible to defend against him one-on-one for 90 minutes”.
Tell that to Hany, who shut the door completely on the skilful Manchester City winger, which forced Garcia to move him from left, to right, and eventually to the centre of Belgium’s attack.
Despite scoring an own goal, Hany was lauded by all pundits, and On Sport reported that former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger, who attended the game at Lumen Field, asked to meet the Egyptian defender, whom he deemed as the best player of the game.
Hassan also praised Hany for his efforts and said the performance of the Ahly right-back did not come out of nowhere.
“I want to remind you that Mohamed Hany played against Vinicius [Junior] recently. He faced off against strong players during the Africa Cup of Nations,” said the coach, adding that the technical staff spent hours preparing Hany specifically for this match-up with Doku.
Oufa shines as Egypt’s first-choice ‘keeper
Another hero of the day came in the form of Mostafa Shobeir, who was making his first start for Egypt in a non-friendly game and came up with three clutch saves to hold off a resurgent Belgian side in the second half.
Moving up to the front of the line ahead of veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy, the 26-year-old Shobeir made a strong case for himself as Egypt’s main man in goal, possibly for years to come.
“We witnessed today the birth of a goalkeeper for Egypt’s national team for the next 15 years,” said Egypt’s legendary goalkeeper Essam El Hadary on On Sport.
“The saves he made in the 61st minute, the 63rd minute, and the brilliant header [from Brandon Mechele] he saved in the 82nd minute, this shows you how composed he can be when blocking a ball, his footwork, his positioning, his decision-making, how calm he is … this tells you he isn’t just a great goalkeeper during a game, he is a great one in practice too.
“He is always watching; he studied how Belgium plays, what their strengths are. The way he played against Belgium … He was one of the stars of the game today. Everyone did well but in my opinion, the turning point in this game which helped us secure the draw was the save he made in the 82nd minute.”
What’s next?
After a promising start to their campaign, Egypt now head back to their training base in Spokane, Washington, before they head to Vancouver for their clash with New Zealand on Sunday, June 21.
New Zealand held Iran 2-2 in their opener, which means it’s all to play for in Group G, with all four teams holding one point each.
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