SEATTLE (AP) — Seeking to avoid a repeat of its early World Cup exit in 2022, Belgium got off to an unimpressive start.
Romelu Lukaku entered in the 66th minute against Egypt on Monday and the veteran striker immediately created a scoring chance that led to an equalizing own goal, but that was all Belgium could manage in a 1-1 draw.
“No game’s an easy game in the World Cup,” coach Rudi Garcia said in French.
Perhaps not, but Belgium was expected to handle an Egypt squad that has never won a World Cup game. Instead, the Red Devils were outmaneuvered in the first half, with the speed of Egypt’s younger players making the Pharaohs the aggressors.
“We know that we had a bad start in the match,” captain Youri Tielemans said.
Now the question becomes whether Belgium can make one last World Cup run with the remaining veterans from its “Golden Generation” of stars — including the 33-year-old Lukaku and two 34-year-olds in midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Belgium held the top spot in the FIFA rankings for several years and had its best World Cup performance when it finished third in Russia in 2018.
But the team fizzled four years later in Qatar, entering with championship hopes but failing to advance to the knockout round.
Since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992, Belgium and the Netherlands are the only teams without a World Cup title to hold the top spot.
The Red Devils entered this year’s World Cup ranked 10th, by far the best in Group G, which also includes Iran (25th), Egypt (29th) and New Zealand (79th).
Lukaku, Belgium’s career goals leader, is recovering from a hamstring injury. Belgium tied the game less than a minute after he entered as a substitute.
“He’s a target man,” Tielemans said. “He needs to build up his fitness, which is understandable after being out for the season. But he helps us in this way.”
De Bruyne was replaced by Hans Vanaken in the 85th minute.
With 32 teams making the knockout round in this expanded World Cup, it’s easier than ever to advance, but Belgium has less room for error as it prepares to face Iran on Sunday in Inglewood, California.
“We have to win against Iran, there’s no two ways around it,” Garcia said.
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Connor Joyce is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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