Belgium Snatches A Win Away From Senegal Late Into Stoppage Time

By Gopal Ram Tripathi

Match Winning Penalty At The End

Belgium produced one of the tournament's most dramatic turnarounds yet, clawing back from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in Seattle and book their place in the World Cup round of 16.

The winner arrived agonizingly late, in the 125th minute of a match that had already stretched deep into stoppage time, when substitute Youri Tielemans took a decisive penalty after a VAR review flagged a foul by Senegal's Lamine Camara, from what it looked like a foul outside the box changed Senegal’s fate when a penalty was awarded. Viewers would think of Lukaku to be the main man but it was Tielemans who sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to complete a massive comeback against Senegal.

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Senegal Dominate Early, But Missed Crucial Chances

For most of the contest, Senegal looked firmly in control. Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr put the West Africans 2-0 ahead, and their dominance was underlined by two efforts that came back off the woodwork before finally going in. Sarr twice had chances denied by the post, then seeing a header ricochet away, before Diarra reacted quickest to net the rebound and open the scoring in the 25th minute.

Belgium struggled to find rhythm in the first half, with an early attempt saved comfortably by Senegal's goalkeeper. At the break, the Belgian coach turned to Romelu Lukaku in place of a subdued Charles De Ketelaere, but the change didn't immediately halt the bleeding, Senegal doubled their advantage just after the hour when Sarr took matters in his own hands.

But this was not the end but a wake-up call for Belgium. The mega sub turned up when it mattered the most, Lukaku struck from the bench giving a mere glance of hope that looked to have settled the tie. Belgium took a deep breath and the fans were on their feet hoping for a miracle. Lukaku turned home a low cross to halve the deficit, and moments later Tielemans rose to head in a delivery from Leandro Trossard to draw the match level, a strike made more remarkable by the fact the pair had clashed angrily with one another earlier in the game, only to embrace in celebration as the comeback took shape.

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The Talismans’ Moment

With the scores tied at 2-2 after 90 minutes, the match rolled into extra time, where chances were traded but neither side could find a breakthrough until Tielemans' late penalty settled it in Belgium's favor.

The result sends Belgium through to face USA, with that next match also scheduled to be played in Seattle.

Another Tight Exit for Africa

For Senegal, the defeat ends a tournament run that had shown real promise, and adds them to a growing list of African teams eliminated by the narrowest of margins in this year's competition, following South Africa, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all of whom also exited in tight contests during the round of 32.

After their early exit from the Group Stage of 2022 World Cup, The win continues Belgium's reputation as a team capable of grinding out results even when performances aren't at their best, and keeps alive their hopes of a deep run.

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