Belgium were held to a 1-1 draw in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Egypt, but fans have taken to social media to criticize Jeremy Doku over his performance in the contest.
Doku was included in the starting XI against the Pharaohs, but the Manchester City winger failed to influence the game as Belgium came from behind to salvage a point in Seattle.
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In an underwhelming display, Doku was dispossessed three times in the first half, more than any other player. He failed to register a shot on target in the 86 minutes spent on the pitch while attempting just one shot. He also lost possession 20 times and completed only one of his seven attempted take-ons.
After the match, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to berate the 24-year-old for his display, with one writing:
“Doku might just be overrated. Bruh has been non-existent in the game so far.”
Another tweeted:
“Never seen a player as wasteful as Doku before.”
A third remarked:
“Doku lacks sense of urgency and football intelligence at times.”
“There were 2 free Belgium players in the box but Doku still wanted to shimmy first 🤣,” another quipped.
Today’s match against Egypt marked Doku’s second FIFA World Cup appearance for Belgium and his 44th for the country across all competitions.
“The whole team wanted three points” – Egypt star after draw with Belgium in FIFA World Cup opener
Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim admitted that Belgium possessed considerable quality but insisted that his country wanted all three points. Abdelkarim, who came on for Mohamed Salah in the 76th minute, also praised his team and thanked the fans for their support.
“It was a good game for the whole team,” he told BBC One post-match. “The whole team wanted the three points, we got one point in the end but we gave it our all. We need to thank the fans that came, the atmosphere was great. We focus now on the next match.
“We know Belgium are a good team, [they have] good quality players but we can’t say it was the hardest game or easiest game, every game for us has got to be three points.”
The two teams are in Group G for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Iran and New Zealand. Belgium will play Iran in their next outing, while Egypt will face New Zealand in their second group stage game.
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide