Romelu Lukaku inspires equaliser from the bench as Belgium, Egypt share points

Romelu Lukaku's mere presence sparked an attack that led to Belgium's lone goal only seconds after he entered as a second-half substitute, helping his team earn a 1-1 draw with Egypt on Monday at the World Cup. Lukaku came on in the 66th minute with Belgium trailing 1-0. He ran down the middle of the field and lurched to tap a cross from the right into the net, but Egypt defender Mohamed Hany did that instead, scoring an own-goal.

The equalizing goal came only 23 seconds after Lukaku came on the field. Emam Ashour had put the Egyptians ahead in the 19th minute with his first international goal. Ashour, a midfielder who was playing in his 30th game for his country, took advantage of a defensive breakdown to give Egypt only its second lead in World Cup match.

The Egyptians, who are playing in their fourth World Cup, still have never won a game at the tournament. Belgium failed to advance past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has not won any of its last three matches in the tournament. Egypt had numerous chances to increase its lead but could not put the Red Devils away.

Lukaku and teammate Kevin De Bruyne also had an abundance of opportunities to take the lead.