Mohamed Hany's Foot: The Wild Own Goal That Robbed Egypt of a Seattle World Cup Stunner

Alright, Emerald City, can you even believe what we just witnessed at Seattle Stadium?! What a wild, heart-stopping opening Group G match in the 2026 World Cup! Heavy favorite Belgium barely escaped with a 1-1 draw against Egypt on Monday, and it all came down to a crazy own goal just seconds after Romelu Lukaku hit the pitch. Egypt was so close to pulling off the upset of the tournament, right here in our backyard, but it slipped away in an instant. Man, my heart is still pounding!

The Pharaohs Nearly Ran Wild in Our House

Can we talk about Egypt for a minute? They came out firing! Midfielder Emam Ashour, celebrating his first international goal in his 30th appearance, absolutely stunned Belgium with a superb shot from 20 yards out in the 19th minute. That baby was clocked at 21 mph and buried in the lower left corner, sailing past Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois' outstretched right arm. What a moment! Coach Hossam Hassan made a brilliant move playing Mohamed Salah centrally on his 34th birthday, and it paid off immediately. Salah drew an early yellow card on Belgium, then delivered a clinical pass to Ashour, who took one touch and fired. Egypt was up 1-0 and the crowd was buzzing! Courtois later made another excellent diving save from Mostafa Zico, showing Belgium's defense was under pressure. Egypt put both their first-half shots on frame, while Belgium, despite eight attempts, couldn't test Egypt's keeper, Mostafa Shoubir, at all.

Lukaku's Instant Impact and the Seattle Heat

The second half started with the game really opening up, Belgium applying more pressure, and Egypt still dangerous on the counterattack. Courtois had to make another diving save on a Salah header in the 55th minute, keeping Belgium in it. But then, the 66th minute hit, and Belgium decided to add some physicality, bringing on Romelu Lukaku. What happened next was insane! A mere 23 seconds after entering, the Napoli striker split two defenders off a Thomas Meunier cross and, in a pile in front of Shoubir, forced an own goal off Mohamed Hany's foot. BOOM, just like that, it was 1-1. Lukaku, who's only made six appearances for Napoli this season due to thigh and hip flexor injuries, instantly changed the game. Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans said Lukaku "needs to build up his fitness," but "he helps us in this way." You can say that again! Egypt coach Hassan felt the heat, literally, at around 90 degrees, played a factor, saying "we must activate substitutions according to match circumstances" after Salah was subbed off in the 75th minute. Both teams ended with just three shots on target. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia admitted Egypt scoring on their first shot made it tough, but "the important thing is that we stayed in the game." So, what's next after that wild ride? Egypt will head north to Vancouver to face New Zealand this Sunday. Belgium, meanwhile, is off to Inglewood, California, to take on Iran earlier that same day. Hassan called the draw "very positive" for Egypt, saying his focus is entirely on New Zealand. We can only imagine the drama these teams will bring to the rest of the World Cup! Bring on the next matches, folks!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.