Belgium knocks Senegal out of the tournament after 0-2 comeback

As early as the 13th minute, Ismaila Sarr, the Crystal Palace professional, could have effectively settled the game, but after a cross from Ismail Jakobs and a mistake by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, he hit only the post. His second attempt from a prone position then struck only the outside of the net. In the 25th minute, Habib Diarra finished from close range to make it 1-0, after the ball had rebounded off the post. The sequence had begun with a cross from Mané. The former Bayern star thus truly announced himself at the tournament for the first time, having previously been unable to stamp his authority on the competition, though he had begun to turn it on of late.

After the break, the Thiaw side extended their lead. In the 51st minute, the Thiaw side extended their lead. Moussa Niakhaté played a long ball, which Ismaïla Sarr brought down beautifully before hammering it into the net. With that goal, Sarr, now on four goals at the tournament, became Senegal's outright World Cup record scorer. Belgium looked shell-shocked, and managed no more than harmless long-range efforts from Jeremy Doku (43rd) and Maxim De Cuyper (45th). Senegal's goalkeeper Mory Diaw reacted well to both.

Belgium barely managed to impose themselves. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne in particular kept making the simplest of passing errors. At the break, Garcia reacted and brought on the later match-winner Romelu Lukaku for Charles De Ketelaere. Romelu Lukaku, Belgium's record goalscorer, thus came on as a substitute and changed the dynamic. In the 56th minute, the deeply unhappy De Bruyne was taken off, after which Garcia also removed De Bruyne and Doku, two of the supposedly most important attacking players, and brought on, among others, the former Hertha player Dodi Lukebakio.

Lukaku Sparks the Turnaround

The turnaround came late. In the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku, introduced at the break, made it 1-2. From an assist by the former Dortmund player Thomas Meunier, the striker, who had so often single-handedly kept Belgium alive in games in the past, pulled one back. Just three minutes later came the equalizer: Youri Tielemans had profited from a botched excursion by Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw and headed the ball into the net. Following Leandro Trossard's delivery, which picked out Tielemans in the box, Belgium drew level at 2-2.

The closing stages of normal time were now drama at its purest. In the 109th minute, already deep into extra time, the substitute Ibrahim Mbaye was presented with a fine chance to make it 3-2 for Senegal. But the substitute pulled his effort wide, the ball flying just past the top-left corner. At the other end, in the 117th minute, Dodi Lukebakio struck the crossbar. Belgium were now pushing for the decisive goal.

During the "hydration break" after 70 minutes, Belgium were still trailing 0-2. By that point, Leandro Trossard and the eventual goalscorer Tielemans had already been shouting at each other during the second half, when Tielemans had failed to play the ball to the unmarked Trossard near the penalty area. Teammate Nicolas Raskin had to separate the two Belgians after the escalation, while on the other side Lamine Camara and Moussa Niakhaté also came over to calm things down. Romelu Lukaku, lying on the ground, was gesticulating wildly. The scene illustrated just how great the frustration was inside the Belgian camp. Only after the equalizer did Trossard and Tielemans embrace again.

In the 117th minute, Lamine Camara caught Tielemans on the foot inside the box without the referee noticing. But VAR stepped in and called Said Martinez to the screen. The Honduran referee who had been in charge of the game decided, after a review lasting several minutes, to award a penalty. The preceding foul play had been checked by video review for several minutes. Pathé Ciss stood in front of the spot and delayed the taking of the kick even further. So Tielemans stepped up to take the penalty some 8 minutes after the foul on him and buried the ball unstoppably into the top corner. In extra time, Tielemans again converted a penalty (120.+5).

VAR and Penalty Decide It

The winning goal in extra time was scored by Youri Tielemans in the 125th minute via penalty. That made the 29-year-old Arsenal midfielder the celebrated man of the evening. The Belgians are through to the World Cup round of 16, the Red Devils beating Senegal 3-2 after extra time. While Senegal must head home, Belgium are allowed to keep dreaming of progressing to the next round.

In the closing minutes, Senegal had one further big chance. In the 109th minute, the substitute Ibrahim Mbaye placed the ball just wide of the goal. In addition, in normal time the Senegalese had the opportunity to take an earlier lead through Gueye's volley in the 17th minute, but the shot was too central. Overall, Senegal delivered a strong performance, but ultimately fell short due to a lack of efficiency and Belgium's late show of will.

Before the match, the African footballers had brought with them the memory of a memorable half-year. Almost exactly half a year after the memorable Africa Cup of Nations final, which the nation won against Morocco on the pitch and only later lost at the green table, Pape Thiaw's side put in a courageous display. They had won three of their four knockout games at the Africa Cup of Nations, each by 1-0, and earned the title on the field. Although it was later awarded to Morocco by the sports tribunal, the sporting achievement remains undisputed.

Looking Ahead to the Quarterfinals

Tactically, Belgium stuck with their tried-and-tested 4-4-2 system and fielded the same starting eleven as in the 5-1 win over New Zealand. Garcia, who since taking charge in January 2025 has lost only the first match under his leadership, thus relied on the successful personnel from the group stage. Pape Thiaw, by contrast, changed his team in three positions. Pathé Ciss, Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye came into the starting lineup for Abdoulaye Seck, Lamine Camara and Ibrahim Mbaye.

In stoppage time at the end of normal time, Belgium kept their nerve, and in extra time the side kept the upper hand despite fatigue. Despite the tensions between Trossard and Tielemans in between, which Belgium sought to compensate for through their substitutions, the collective strength ultimately prevailed. Romelu Lukaku summed up the mood after the match aptly: "Es war intensiv. Aber wir haben Kampfgeist gezeigt, wir haben wirklich 'Cojones' gehabt, das braucht man in so einem Spiel. Das hatten wir am Anfang nicht. Am Ende haben wir Charakter gezeigt. Der Senegal ist technisch und körperlich eine der besten Mannschaften im Turnier. Der Geist der Truppe hat sich gezeigt. Es war für mich besser, dass Yuri den Elfmeter schießt, es ist wichtiger, dass die Gruppe profitiert, nicht ich als Einzelner."

After the drama in Seattle, Belgium are through to the quarterfinals. Next Monday (local time), they face, once again in Seattle, the round-of-16 match in which the winner of USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina will be their opponent. The match takes place on the night of July 7, also in Seattle. In Seattle, therefore, comes the next big task for the "Red Devils," who were only able to summon what might be their strongest performance of the tournament so far against Senegal in the decisive minutes.

Before the stadium, a curious scene had unfolded during the first half. During the "hydration break" after 70 minutes, considerably later, young fans had already run onto the pitch beforehand. Three young spectators, one of them in a Belgian jersey, briefly interrupted the match – the first such incident at this tournament. Security personnel intervened quickly, and the game could be resumed without further consequences.