Senegal dominant – Belgium under the cosh
Belgium edged past Senegal 3–2 after extra time in their FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 32 clash at Lumen Field in Seattle. The tournament is being held for the first time with 48 teams split across 12 four-team groups, with 32 sides advancing to the knockout rounds: the twelve group winners, the twelve runners-up and the eight best third-placed finishers. Belgium had come through as winners of Group G, while Senegal arrived as one of the eight qualifying third-placed sides from Group I.
For long periods, a straightforward Senegalese progression looked inevitable. In the 25th minute, Mouhamadou Habib Mbacke Diarra gave Senegal the lead — the 21-year-old Sunderland midfielder, who had previously represented French youth sides before switching allegiance to Senegal in 2024, made it 0–1. Six minutes after the break, Ismaïla Sarr doubled the advantage with a finish assisted by Moussa Niakhaté to make it 0–2. Belgium looked defensively fragile and toothless in attack; elimination appeared to be a foregone conclusion.
The comeback: four minutes that changed everything
Head coach Rudi Garcia responded with a series of substitutions, bringing Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli on at half-time in place of De Ketelaere. The move paid dividends in the 86th minute when Lukaku converted a pass from Thomas Meunier to make it 1–2. Belgium's all-time record scorer — his tally of 91 international goals is surpassed in Europe only by Cristiano Ronaldo — underlined his quality even from the bench. Three minutes later, in the 89th minute, Youri Tielemans headed home from a Leandro Trossard cross to level at 2–2. Belgium had wiped out a two-goal deficit in the space of four minutes.
Extra time: Tielemans strikes at a historic moment
Extra time remained goalless until, in the 125th minute, a VAR-reviewed penalty settled the contest. Lamine Camara had fouled Youri Tielemans, and the Belgium captain — officially appointed to the role by Garcia in September 2025 — stepped up himself and sent the penalty into the top right corner to complete a 3–2 victory. According to ESPN, it is the latest winning goal in the entire history of the World Cup. Belgium are through to the round of 16, the second knockout round of this expanded tournament, where 16 teams remain.
Senegal leave with their reputation intact despite the defeat. Diarra, who won the Africa Cup of Nations with the side in 2025, and Sarr had controlled the match for long periods. In the end, however, the depth of Belgium's squad and Tielemans' composure from the spot proved the decisive factors.
