Belgium Coach: The Match Was Difficult and Egypt's Goalkeeper Prevented Us from Winning

Rudi Garcia, the coach of the Belgium national team, confirmed that his team's match against the Egyptian national team was difficult, noting that the Pharaohs' team possesses many talents.

The Egyptian national team secured a 1-1 draw against Belgium in the match that brought the two teams together on Monday evening in the first round of the 2026 World Cup.

Garcia said in statements following the Egypt match: "As I said before, the first match in the World Cup is always difficult, especially against one of the best teams in Africa, Egypt. They score from the first shot, and you cannot allow a team like this to take the lead because it plays to their advantage. Then they will rely on Salah and Marmoush; they also have a lot of talent."

He added, "It's important that we got back into the game and managed to score the equalizing goal through a substitute."

He continued: "This underscores the importance of the entire team. We had opportunities to win, but the goalkeeper saved them."

The coach of the Belgium national team concluded: "I watched a good match between two good teams, even De Bruyne hit the post, which is an important point."