By Martin Petty, Dan Catchpole Joe Brock and Rohith Nair Egypt are not at the World Cup to make up the numbers and showed their potential and quality players in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Belgium, coach Hossam Hassan said, after they came agonisingly close to their dream of a first win in the showpiece event.The Pharaohs went ahead with a brilliant 20th-minute strike from Emam Ashour and were a handful for the Belgians in Seattle. The Europeans levelled in the 66th minute when record scorer Romelu Lukaku, a little over 20 seconds after entering the game, forced an own goal from Mohamed Hany.“I’m not the one to talk about Egypt’s stature. The players are top quality, and we have two of the best players in the world with us. They give us motivation,” Hassan said of captain Mohamed Salah and striker Omar Marmoush.“We are definitely not here just to make up the numbers. The win was in our hands today.”Playing in their fourth World Cup, Egypt are chasing their best-ever showing and got their campaign off to an impressive start in Seattle, registering 14 goal attempts and going toe-to-toe with one of the top-ranked sides.“This was our priority, our number one focus. We were not thinking about anything else,” Hassan said.“But the draw is a win actually, a draw against such a rival, a big rival. They have big, big players.”Hassan defended his decision to substitute captain and goal machine Salah when the scores were level and praised him and Marmoush for what he called excellent performances.“We do not rely on a single player but on a collective 26. Salah, Marmoush, they give it their all, they were really, really giving everything with their ferocious transitions.”Egypt’s best run at the World Cup was in 1990, where they came away with two draws and a defeat, with coach Hassan himself in the side.Egypt’s participation in this World Cup went beyond the tournament, he said, and was part of a drive to reinvent the national team and make them believe they can be contenders in world football.“We are 120 million people in Egypt so of course we need to have a strong squad, of course we have ambition, of course we need to represent all of these people. The Pharaohs’ hopes of a first-ever World Cup win were dashed by an own goal from defender Hany in their Group G opener.Egypt took the lead through Ashour’s powerful strike from outside the box, his first international goal.Belgium pressed for an equaliser in the second half before the introduction of Lukaku. A little more than 20 seconds later, Hany diverted a cross into his own net under pressure from the big striker.Also in Group G on Monday (the early hours of Tuesday South Africa time), Iran twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening Group G game, after an end-to-end contest played against the backdrop of Iranian fan protests against the government in Tehran.New Zealand went ahead in the seventh minute when Elijah Just volleyed home from inside the box after being set up by Chris Wood. Iran deservedly levelled in the 32nd, Ramin Rezaeian stabbing the ball in from close range to send the largely Iran-supporting crowd at a packed Los Angeles stadium into raptures.The outstanding Just, the 26-year-old Motherwell winger, restored New Zealand’s lead in the 54th, lifting the ball over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand after another assist from Wood. But Iran hit back again 10 minutes later, Mohammad Mohebbi glancing a header in off the back post to equalise again.Iran return to Los Angeles to face Belgium, while New Zealand take on Egypt in Vancouver in the next Group G matches on Sunday. The players are top quality, and we have two of the best players in the world with us. They give us motivation— Egypt coach Hossam HassanIn Group H, after Spain were stunned to be held 0-0 by Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played out a 1-1 draw. Abdulelah Al Amri’s opener for the Gulf nation was cancelled out by Maxi Araujo in a game where both sides profited from goalkeeping errors.The first half was dominated by Uruguay but Saudi Arabia took the lead against the run of play in the 41st minute when Fernando Muslera made a costly error on a set-piece, parrying the ball into the path of Al Amri who poked the ball past the veteran keeper.The majority of the second period was played in Saudi Arabia’s half as Uruguay frantically searched for an equaliser and their persistence paid off when goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais also made an error when a save fell nicely for Araujo to fire home.The draw leaves Group H finely poised after the first round of games, with all four teams on a point.All the World Cup fixtures hereWorld Cup page hereAll the group profiles hereStar player profiles hereBafana news here