World Cup: The Sad Fate of the 'Buried' Pharaoh (Match Report)

Eight matches: five losses and three draws. That's Egypt's World Cup finals record after the final whistle in Seattle against a somewhat underwhelming Belgium. In other words, not a single victory to show for it, and the Pharaohs – as they are known – remain buried in a pyramid. While the mortal remains of monarchs are no longer there, that was indeed the purpose for which they were built, back in humanity's early days, between 2500 and 2600 years before Christ.

The course of events on the pitch threatened to take a different turn, but it ultimately remained just good intentions. In fact, anyone who watched the first half of the clash would have bet heavily on an Egypt victory, such was the supremacy displayed by Hossam Hassan's team during that period. They were incredibly well-organized defensively, denying Belgian playmaker Jérémy Doku even an inch of space.

Unsurprisingly, after an assist from the birthday boy and ever-present Salah, Ashour rifled a magnificent shot from outside the box into the net. The momentum continued until halftime, with the most dangerous moment coming from an Egyptian forward's goal-bound strike, which the colossal Courtois denied with an astonishing save.

Would this be the Africans' first victory in football's biggest showpiece? Almost everyone basking in the Seattle sun and the millions following the match across various streaming platforms would have said yes, an idea reinforced by how the high block presented itself after the restart.
However, Hassan's charges couldn't maintain their high-pressing intensity. Kevin De Bruyne began to dictate the tempo, Rudi Garcia corrected the error of playing Doku centrally – moving De Ketelaere to the right – and brought on Romelu Lukaku. The Napoli giant may have had an inconsistent season in Italy, but those with a nose for goal detect danger from miles away.
In his first involvement on the field, the number 9 won a physical battle against everyone and forced Hany to put the ball into his own net. No one was content with the draw until the very last second, but the beautiful game has these traps: when the football gods don't want it, there's little or nothing to be done.

A point apiece, and the Pharaohs left cursing their devil, who this time wore red. It was, nonetheless, a formidable spectacle, one of those that justifies the frenzy surrounding a World Cup and proves that this competition remains alive, capable of paralyzing entire nations across various global latitudes due to its unpredictable beauty. By the way, Debast didn't play due to injury, and Lukebakio remained on the bench...