Romelu Lukaku shrugged off recent fitness concerns to play a pivotal role as Belgium fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their opening World Cup group match in Seattle. The record goalscorer for his country was introduced in the 66th minute and within seconds had forced the equaliser, with Egypt defender Mohamed Hany turning the ball into his own net under pressure from the striker.
Egypt had started brightly and deservedly took the lead in the 20th minute when Emam Ashour lashed a fierce strike past Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the box. The African side looked the more likely to add to their advantage, with Mostafa Ziko forcing a fine save from the Real Madrid goalkeeper just after the half-hour mark.
Belgium, who reached the semi-finals in the last two World Cups, were sluggish throughout the first period and failed to muster a single shot on target. Manager Rudi Garcia's side improved after the interval, with Kevin De Bruyne hitting the post with a free-kick and Youri Tielemans lashing just wide from a corner.
Lukaku, who had been described as 'out of shape' by Garcia despite being named in the squad, made an immediate impact as he hustled Hany into poking the ball into his own net in the 66th minute. Both sides pushed for a winner in an absorbing contest, with Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir tipping away a drive from Brandon Mechele and teenager Hamza Abdelkarim narrowly missing a cross from Karim Hafez.
Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim told BBC One: 'It was a good game for the whole team. The whole team wanted the three points, we got one point in the end but we gave it our all. We know Belgium are a good team, they have good quality players but we can't say it was the hardest game or easiest game.'