Why Belgium were unable to unleash Jeremy Doku in their hard-fought draw with Egypt

Listen to an audio version of this article on Spotify here.

If they were to break their duck in the USA, then the Pharaohs would need to stop the creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne and the pace and trickery of Jeremy Doku as a starting point from which to build to a winning position.

Doku's electric form in qualifying

Doku's form in qualifying, where he contributed to seven goals (5G, 2A), and created 24 chances from open play (no European player created more), would've given Belgium hope that the game would be a platform for the Man City winger to display his full array of skills.

Indeed, the way in which he and they started the match suggested that Belgium were going to rely on his speed down their left side in order to bring them some success.

One thing that they hadn't counted on, however, was Egypt's doubling, and sometimes trebling, up of defenders to ensure that Doku's influence was kept to an absolute minimum.

Though De Bruyne went close early on in the match, and the Belgians looked comfortable in possession, of which they had 68% collectively across the opening 20 minutes, Doku simply couldn't find a way past the likes of Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh and Mohamed Hany, amongst others.

Egypt take the lead with first attack

Hany's four attempted tackles in the first half hour were more than any other player on the pitch, and helped keep the opponents at bay.

With virtually their first attack of the match, Egypt took the lead. Just the second time in their WC history that they'd led in a game, Emam Ashour's fearsome low drive from Mo Salah's simple assist lit the blue touch paper in this one. 

The Egyptian King, who had been directly involved in 60% of Egypt's goals in qualifying (G9, A3), was playing in a No.10 role, which gave him the freedom to roam, and so comfortable did he seem that one has to question why Liverpool didn't play him there more often.

Doku still couldn't get any change out of the opposition defence, with Fathy winning seven of his 11 one-on-ones, and Hany winning eight of his 13.

Belgium's wayward finishing

The Belgian would go on to have just one shot in the game, which arrived in first-half stoppage time, but he snatched at the chance and sent it well over.

That he still managed to have six touches in the Egypt box, the most of any player from his side, doesn't really begin to tell the whole story.

Though his attacking colleague Leandro Trossard had three shots in the first half, none were on target, as the Europeans continued to be frustrated by a mixture of poor finishing and a brilliant defensive effort from the Egyptians.

Nathan Ngoy's 97.2% pass completion stood out for Belgium as they attempted to claw their way back into a game that could've been beyond them had Salah or Mostafa Zico's on-target efforts found the net.

Period of pressure from the Red Devils

When De Bruyne smashed his direct free-kick against the post in the 53rd minute, that signalled a period of intense pressure from the Red Devils, and just 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute, Romelu Lukaku's physical presence unsettled the Egyptian defence to such a level that it forced Hany to fire into his own net for the equaliser.

It was a goal that was 325 minutes in the making, Belgium's longest World Cup drought since going 244 minutes without scoring from 22nd June 1982 to 3rd June 1986.

To Egypt's credit, they dug deep and still had chances of their own to win the match, with Omar Marmoush ending the game with five efforts at goal, albeit none of them on target.

Mohanad Lasheen's six successful tackles from eight attempted helped to frustrate Belgium as they continued to search for a late winner, and when 18-year-old wonder kid Hamza Abdelkarim, subbed on for Salah, outpaced the opposition defence, the stadium held its breath.

Still no WC joy for the Pharaohs

Unfortunately, his finish didn't quite match the build-up, and another chance had gone begging.

Before being subbed off himself, Doku had earned five fouls, more than anyone else on the pitch, though this was countered somewhat by Thomas Meunier giving away five free-kicks.

As the game drew to its conclusion, Brandon Mechele almost won it for Belgium; however, Mostafa Shobeir's third save of the match ultimately ensured the points were shared.

What that meant was that Egypt had again failed to win a World Cup game, whilst Belgium had still only lost once against African opposition in the tournament (W3, D1).

Catch up on the match with Flashscore.

Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits.