'All the way': Egypt dare to dream after gritty Belgium draw

When Egypt took the lead against Belgium in their opening World Cup match on Monday, decades of doubt gave way to belief for 62-year-old Bahgat Abbas.

Standing beneath the historic arcades near the Basilica in Cairo's eastern Heliopolis district, Abbas leapt with the crowd as cups rattled across tables and the roar from television screens spilled into the street.

"I remember watching Egypt in 1990," Abbas said, waving an Egyptian flag as car horns blared around him.

"Back then, just being at the World Cup felt special. Tonight feels different. Tonight feels like we can actually achieve something."

Egypt were ultimately held to a 1-1 draw by one of Europe's most respected footballing nations, but the performance lifted spirits across the country and renewed belief that a near-century wait for a World Cup breakthrough may finally be within reach.

Much of that hope has centred on Mohamed Salah, Egypt's talisman who turned 34 on Monday and may be playing his final World Cup.

"When we scored, I thought maybe this was finally our night," Abbas said, smiling. "Maybe next time. We've got a good team around Salah."

Seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions Egypt have never won a World Cup game.

This is their fourth appearance at the tournament and, with Group G fixtures still to come against Iran and New Zealand, they will hope to break that hoodoo in North America.

At the final whistle, there was little sign of disappointment.

In Cairo's densely populated Sharabiya district, Taha Omar said it was the first time at a World Cup he had seen Egypt do more than "just defend".

"We played positively, against a team like Belgium, with big-name players."

During the match, heads snapped towards the screen with every Egyptian break, hands lifting, then dropping with groans or applause. Each tackle drew claps, each near-miss a sharp intake of breath.

For Egyptian fans, the World Cup has long represented both hope and frustration.

Egypt were the first African and Arab nation to appear at the tournament in 1934, but exited early.

It then took 56 years to return, leaving Italy 1990 without a win. Their most recent appearance, in Russia in 2018, ended with three group-stage defeats.

Many fans arrived at this tournament carrying familiar fears.

Yet in the weeks leading up to the opening match, television screens were filled with advertisements urging supporters to dream bigger.

One of the most widely shared commercials featured Salah on a video call with a comedian firing off pharaoh-themed dad jokes.

In one scene, he quips that Egypt should play so well foreigners will ask: "What Isis?" -- a reference to the ancient Egyptian goddess.

Another campaign showed Egypt players predicting a run beyond the group stage under the slogan: "To all the doubters, this time we'll go all the way."

In Sharabiya, fans held on to that optimism.

"We'll keep going until the end," Mohamed El-Gendy said.