Aston Villa star Youri Tielemans proves he's class above despite Belgium reviews vs Egypt
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans was at his brilliant best as Belgium drew with Egypt on Monday.
The 29-year-old started as the Red Devils lined up in Seattle for their World Cup opener on Monday evening.
A clash at Lumen Field started quickly when Emam Ashour scored a stunning goal from outside the box.
That looked to take the Belgians by surprise and it took them until the 66th minute for Romelu Lukaku to come on and force an own goal from Mohamed Hany.
It wasn't the start that Rudi Garcia would have wanted, but there were still positives to take.
Tielemans was certainly a plus point as he continued his stunning Villa Park form into the summer tournament.
Youri Tielemans stats paint superb picture in Belgium draw vs Egypt
The 29-year-old has shown his class and has become one of the most important players under Unai Emery in B6.
His injury mid-way through the campaign nearly derailed any chances of a top-four finish and his eventual return had a massive impact.
That appears to have carried forward onto the international stage as he jetted out to North America.
Tielemans started against Egypt and looked to struggle to begin with, but quickly found his feet as the game went on.
He featured for the full 90 and completed 36 passes in that time, creating the most chances on the pitch with three
His attacking endeavour continued with two shots, one cross and a 100 per cent dribble success rate.
The Villa man was also able to show his defensive work rate by chipping in with five defensive actions, four recoveries and five duel wins.
That all points towards a positive performance from the midfielder, although the national media weren't too kind.
Belgian media in mixed reviews of Aston Villa star Tielemans vs Egypt
If the stats say one thing, it feels as if the press wanted to say near enough the opposite.
Maxifoot described Tielemans' start against Egypt as "timid" before he "gradually loosened up", but only enough to secure a six out of 10.
That wasn't bettered by Foot Mercato, who afforded him a five despite suggesting he "provided presence, stability, and a few shots", while putting in a "solid performance".
RTBF say they will "expect much more from him in the rest of the tournament" after also offering a five out of 10 player rating.
It feels as if the national media are frustrated by a draw against Egypt and are letting that cloud their opinions.
The stats prove just the sort of impact Tielemans had in Seattle and that he wasn't "invisible" as RTBF claim.