Belgium were held to a draw by Egypt in both sides’ first match of the World Cup.
A fixture billed largely as a reunion between old foes Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah did not disappoint and certainly evoked memories of both players’ Premier League heydays.
Salah vacated his usual place on the right flank, instead taking up a No10 role opposite De Bruyne, and while neither man got on the scoresheet, they were instrumental.
De Bruyne’s creativity has not faded after an injury-ravaged season in Italy, while Salah came up with the assist for Emam Ashour’s opener.
The result leaves the Group G standings wide open after matchday one, with New Zealand and Iran both yet to play.
A stubborn Egyptian defence kept Belgium frustrated for much of the afternoon, limiting them to speculative long shots throughout the first-half.
And they were efficient at the opposite end of the pitch, too, though their opening goal did not come from the stars Mohamed Salah or Omar Marmoush, as expected.
Instead, Al Ahly’s Emam Ashour was the man to break the deadlock as he lashed a low shot past Thibaut Courtois with just under 20 minutes played.
Belgium piled on the pressure but were visibly frustrated by the time the half-time whistle blew, with Jeremy Doku in particular taking issue with the referee after he was the target of some heavy tackles but was awarded few free kicks.
It was more of the same after the break, but there was more intent from Rudi Garcia’s men as Egypt dug in.
They sent a warning shot as De Bruyne hit the post with a trademark curling free-kick but ultimately it was a rare defensive error from Egypt which allowed them back in.
Seconds after his introduction, Romelu Lukaku made a driving run goalwards as he looked to meet a rolled cross in the six-yard box, but Mohamed Hany got in front of him and was unfortunate to turn the ball into his own net.
A frenetic finish followed with both sides enjoying chances. Belgium perhaps had the best of them as Lukaku headed over from close range and Mostafa Shobeir denied Brandon Mechele at full stretch, but the points were shared, leaving top spot in the group up for grabs ahead of New Zealand’s opener against Iran.
