World Cup 2026: We deserve a win against Belgium – Egypt attacker Emam Ashour

Egypt midfielder Emam Ashour believes the Pharaohs should have taken all three points after a spirited 1-1 draw with Belgium in their opening Group G match at the World Cup on Monday.

The African side delivered a disciplined and confident performance against higher-ranked opposition, at times controlling the tempo and creating the clearer chances in a contest that underlined their ambition on the global stage.

Ashour set the tone with a powerful 20-metre strike in the 20th minute, giving Egypt a deserved lead and capping a standout display that earned him the man-of-the-match award before he was substituted in the second half.

The goal marked his first in 30 international appearances and placed him among a select group of Egyptians to score at a World Cup — following Abdel-Rahman Fawzi in 1934, Magdi Abdel-Ghani in 1990 and Mohamed Salah in 2018.

Despite the strong showing, Egypt were pegged back and had to settle for a point, a result Ashour felt did not reflect their dominance.

“We feel disappointed after the draw because we deserved to win,” Ashour told reporters after the match.

“We had opportunities to score more goals, but we missed several chances.”

He also pointed to the influence of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush as central to Egypt’s hopes of progressing deep into the tournament, stressing that the squad had arrived with serious intent.

“We came here to go far in the tournament, not just to participate,” he said.

“We have two of the best players in the world and now our focus is on the next match.”

Egypt continue their Group G campaign against New Zealand on June 22.