The Belgian national team created a real feat at the 2026 World Cup.
In an extremely dramatic clash of the 1/16-finals, played at “Seattle Stadium“, the Europeans eliminated Senegal with 3:2 after extra time.
The Senegalese looked certain to advance to the next phase after leading 2:0 by the 86th minute with goals from Habib Diarra (25') and Ismaila Sarr (51'). However, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia made risky substitutions, replacing stars Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.
- 86' – Substitute Romelu Lukaku restored Belgium's hopes.
- 89' – Captain Youri Tielemans equalized with a header and sent the match into extra time.
- 125' – Again, Tielemans brought victory, scoring from the penalty spot after a long review of the situation with VAR.
With this goal, Youri Tielemans wrote his name in history, marking the latest winning goal in the history of the world finals (124 minutes and 44 seconds). In the round of 16, Belgium awaits the winner of the USA – Bosnia and Herzegovina pair.
The scandal on the pitch: What happened in the 119th minute?
The clash was heading towards inevitable penalties when in the 117th minute Dodi Lukebakio hit the crossbar. Seconds earlier, however, Lamine Kamara committed a controversial foul, tripping captain Youri Tielemans in the penalty area as the Belgian crossed from the left.
Referee Said Martinez initially ignored the situation, but after a signal from the video review room (VAR) and a long look at the pitchside monitor, he decided to point to the white period.
This unleashed a wave of discontent among the Senegalese. The African team's players surrounded the referee, and defender Pathé Cisse fell to the ground directly on the penalty spot in a sign of furious protest, refusing to move for several minutes. The tension forced A 7-minute delay of play before Tielemans finally got a chance to shoot. The cool-headed Belgian captain sent the ball into the top right corner of the goal for Mory Diaw in the 124th minute and 44th second.
Senegal coach Pape Thiav did not hide his disappointment after the match:
„When the penalty was awarded, we had our own interpretation of the situation. We believed that there was no foul. The players tried to challenge the decision - that's their right. In the end, the penalty was taken and that's why we were eliminated.“
Although Belgium had the ball 55% of the time, Senegal's attacks were far more dangerous. The expected goals (xG) value of 2.71 in favor of the Senegalese proves that they completely outplayed the Belgian defense, led by Brandon Mechele and Arthur Theate. However, the changes of the Belgian coach and the inclusion of Thomas Meunier (who assisted the first goal) and Romelu Lukaku turned the tide of history.
Sources: ESPN / The Guardian