2026 World Cup: Romelu Lukaku once again the savior for the Devils

22 seconds: that is all Romelu Lukaku needed on Monday in Seattle as a substitute to force Egypt into an own goal, allowing the Red Devils to draw level in a hard-fought match and ultimately leave the field with a 1-1 draw. As a result, all options for the second round remain open.

After 66 minutes, “Big Rom” came onto the pitch as a replacement for Charles De Ketelaere, who had not been able to fully establish himself as the deep striker. Shortly after coming on, Thomas Meunier made a good run down the right, after which Lukaku darted into the penalty area and forced the Egyptian Mohamed Hany into an own goal.

Due to a serious injury, Lukaku has barely played for Napoli this season. The plan is to gradually give him more minutes. Only in the final stages of this group stage or in the second round would he be fully ready for a starting spot. So that will probably not be the case yet on Sunday against Iran.

2026 World Cup: Belgium kicks off with clash against Mo Salah’s Egypt

Following a successful pre-tournament build-up, the Red Devils face their World Cup opener on Monday evening at 9 pm Belgian time. At Lumen Field in Seattle, they will take on Egypt, who are their main rivals in the battle to top the group.

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In the other match in the same group, the much-discussed Iran and New Zealand drew 2-2.

_{#FlandersNewsService | Belgium's Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku after he scoored © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}