Football
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Egyptian star Mohamed Salah is once again standing up to the expectations of fans. Today, on his 34th birthday, Mohammed Salah guided his Egypt against Belgium in FIFA World Cup 2026 opening game for them.
Though, Mohamed Salah’s graph has gone red in past twelve months, but today, he managed to produce some exciting moments in the game. Showcasing his class, Salah assisted Emam Ashour to score a goal in the 19th minute of the game. Salah also became the second oldest African player to register an assist in FIFA after Roger Milla (who was 38 years and 42 days old) helped his teammate to put the ball in nets against England in 1990.
On his 34th birthday, Mohamed Salah assisted Emam Ashour’s goal in Egypt’s 1-1 draw against Belgium in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opening game, becoming the second-oldest African player to register an assist in FIFA history.
Mohamed Salah is Egypt’s all-time second-highest goal scorer, having a record of 67 goals, only two less than Hossam Hassan. Salah guided Egypt to their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance since 1990.
For years, he has played as a right wing, but today, he stepped in as a central #10. Mohamed Salah has always played whole game (90 min), but this time, Seattle heat pushed him back as he was replaced by 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim 15 minutes before the final whistle.
Today’s Egypt vs Belgium game ended on a 1-1 draw. However, former Egypt midfielder Ahmed Hassan called the performance more than a victory. “It was a draw with a taste of victory. We had several chances to win this game… we have become a team with a terrifying ability in transition,” he said.
Emam Ashour was awarded as player of the match for his splendid gaol. After the match, he also termed egypt’s performance a great show. “The players did a great job, but we are all sad. We really wanted to win this match. We missed many opportunities. Thankfully, we walk away with a point. This match is now over and we’ll have to start thinking of the next one,” he said.
Ashour further added that “We have two of the best players in the world [Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush], which gives us lots of motivation. We didn’t come here to be guests of honour. We could have won today, but it wasn’t meant to be. We’re hopeful we’ll make up for it in the next game [against New Zealand].”
