2026 World Cup : Belgium scrape through, Senegal let a spot slip through their fingers
Football can throw up some downright bizarre plots. For more than 80 minutes, Senegal had this last-16 tie under control. The Lions were on top, made Belgium chase shadows and looked set for a deserved place in the next round. Then it all fell apart. Two late goals, a penalty deep into extra time and an exit that was as brutal as it was hard to explain. The Red Devils, somehow, came away with a 3-2 win and will face the United States next.
Senegal came out on the front foot
From the first whistle, the intent was obvious. Senegal did not sit back and wait. They pressed Belgium high, won the duels and quickly planted doubt in their opponents’ heads. Sadio Mane was the main threat in that opening spell. Every time he burst forward, the Belgian back line retreated. From one of those surges, Ismaila Sarr hit the post, but Habib Diarra was quickest to react and pounced to open the scoring. It was no more than Senegal deserved, with Belgium struggling to play out cleanly.
At the other end, Kevin De Bruyne never found the right rhythm and Romelu Lukaku was still on the bench. The only real warning before half-time was a long-range strike from Maxime De Cuyper that forced Mory Diaw into a save.
The restart felt like it might bring the moment Senegal killed the game off. From a long pass by Moussa Niakhate, Ismaila Sarr brought the ball down superbly before rifling in a thunderous finish that gave Thibaut Courtois no chance. At 2-0, the Lions looked to have done the hard part.
Belgium came from nowhere
Rudi Garcia had little left to lose. The introduction of Romelu Lukaku changed the shape of his side. Nothing flashy, nothing pretty, but Belgium went more direct, spent more time in the Senegal box and started pumping in crosses. In the 86th minute, Lukaku headed home to cut the gap. That goal flipped the mood completely. Belgium believed again, while Senegal dropped deeper and deeper.
Three minutes later, a poor clearance from Mory Diaw handed the equaliser to Youri Tielemans. In a matter of moments, a match Senegal had controlled for well over an hour had slipped away.
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A finish that will leave a mark
Extra time only confirmed the shift in momentum. Belgium had their tails up. Senegal looked more concerned with avoiding another mistake. The killer blow finally came in the dying seconds. After a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot for a foul by Lamine Camara on Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder stepped up and blasted his penalty under the bar to send the Red Devils through.
Belgium can breathe again, but this display leaves plenty of questions ahead of the last 16. For much of the night, they were second best and only found a way back after Rudi Garcia rolled the dice with his substitutions.
For Senegal, the disappointment will sting hard. The Lions had done the difficult bit against one of the tournament favourites, only to lose their grip at the death. A few hours after the match, midfielder Pape Gueye said he was putting his international career on hold for as long as the current staff remained in charge, a sign this exit could have consequences far beyond this World Cup.
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