Belgium’s Garcia Finds Positives in 0‑0 Draw with Egypt at World Cup 2026

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Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia reflected on his team’s opening match against Egypt at the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to Completesports.com.

The match, played at Seattle Stadium on Monday night, ended in a 1‑1 draw.

Egypt took the lead in the 19th minute when Al Ahly midfielder Emam Ashour delivered a superb finish.

Ashour, who earned Man of the Match honors, received a pass from Mohamed Salah before shooting past Thomas Meunier and a diving Thibaut Courtois, giving Egypt a narrow advantage at halftime.

The 28‑year‑old scored his first international goal for the multiple African champions.

Read Also:World Cup 2026: Egypt’s Wait For First World Cup Win Goes On As Belgium Battle Back To Force 1-1 Draw

Belgium levelled the score in the 66th minute through an own goal by Mohamed Hany, preventing Egypt from securing a historic first World Cup win.

Garcia Thumbs Up Draw With Egypt

Garcia highlighted the positives from the draw and praised his squad’s performance.

“The opening match of a competition like the World Cup is always a tough one, especially against one of Africa’s top teams like Egypt,” Garcia told FIFA.com.

“The important thing is that we stayed in the game. We managed to equalise thanks to a player who came off the bench, which shows just how important the whole squad is. It was a great game between two very good teams.”

Belgium will face Iran at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday, 21 June.

By Adeboye Amosu