Belgium 3-2 Senegal Youri Tielemans converted a dramatic penalty deep into stoppage time of extra time as Belgium completed one of the greatest comebacks of the FIFA World Cup, recovering from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 and book their place in the last 16. The Belgian captain calmly dispatched the decisive spot-kick in the 125th minute after a lengthy VAR review ruled that Lamine Camara had fouled him inside the penalty area, breaking Senegalese hearts after the Lions of Teranga had looked destined for a famous victory. Belgium will now face either co-hosts the United States or Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle for a place in the quarter-finals. For much of the evening, however, it was Senegal who looked the superior side. The Africans dominated the opening half and deservedly took the lead in the 24th minute when Habib Diarra reacted quickest to fire home from close range after Belgium failed to deal with a loose ball inside the penalty area. Belgium struggled to create meaningful chances before the interval as Senegal defended with discipline while posing a constant threat on the counterattack. The Lions of Teranga tightened their grip on the contest six minutes after the restart. Moussa Niakhaté produced a sublime lofted pass over the Belgian defence to release Ismaïla Sarr, who controlled brilliantly before rifling a low finish beyond Thibaut Courtois to double Senegal's advantage. Trailing 2-0 with little more than half an hour remaining, Belgium appeared to be heading for a shock exit. Head coach Rudi Garcia responded with bold changes, sacrificing established stars Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku in search of fresh energy, while Romelu Lukaku who was introduced at half-time led the charge. The substitutions transformed the contest. With four minutes of normal time remaining, Thomas Meunier's low cross found Lukaku, who instinctively diverted the ball beyond goalkeeper Mory Diaw. Three minutes later, the comeback was complete. Leandro Trossard curled a teasing cross into the area and Diaw's attempted punch missed the ball completely, allowing Tielemans to rise unchallenged and head into an empty net to force extra time. Both sides had chances during an exhausting additional 30 minutes, but penalties appeared inevitable until one final twist. In the closing moments of extra time, Tielemans went down inside the area under a challenge from Camara as Belgium launched one last attack. Referee Wilton Sampaio initially waved play on but was instructed to review the incident by the Video Assistant Referee. After studying the pitchside monitor for several minutes, he pointed to the penalty spot, a decision that sparked furious protests from the Senegal players. Tielemans remained composed amid the tension, smashing his penalty high into the net in the 125th minute to complete a remarkable turnaround and send Belgium through. For Senegal, it was a devastating end to an otherwise courageous performance. Having navigated a difficult group containing France and Norway before securing qualification with an emphatic victory over Iraq, the Lions of Teranga looked set to become Africa's first team into the quarter-finals of this World Cup. Instead, they were left to rue a dramatic collapse in the closing minutes, surrendering a two-goal advantage in heartbreaking fashion. Belgium, meanwhile, survived by the narrowest of margins and will hope the resilience shown in one of the tournament's most dramatic matches can carry them deeper into the competition.
