Belgium sealed a dramatic 3-2 win against Senegal in Seattle on Wednesday after two goals in three minutes in the dying moments took this round-of-32 tie into extra time, with Belgium coach Rudi Garcia's side trailing 2-0 and facing elimination.
A Youri Tielemans penalty in the 120th minute, awarded after a VAR intervention following a Lamine Camara challenge on the Aston Villa midfielder, ultimately capped an incredible Belgian comeback to book a round-of-16 tie against the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina.<.p>
Senegal looked destined for the next round after taking a two-goal lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr. But Romelu Lukaku's 86th goal gave Belgium hope, before Tielemans stunned Senegal and took the game into extra time with an 89th minute header.
Tielemans then settled the tie in Belgium's favor by scoring from the spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of extra time, making it the latest winning goal in World Cup history.
Garcia gamble pays off as Belgium cap a stunning comeback
When Garcia substituted star players Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne after 56 minutes with his team trailing 2-0, it looked like a bitter end for the country's hopes of living up to the fading golden generation tag.
Doku was unhappy at the change and De Bruyne seemed bemused at what seemed to be his international farewell. But Garcia's tactical tweak sparked Belgium to life and halted Senegal's dominance -- even though a comeback seemed impossible as the clock ticked down to the final minutes.
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Lukaku's goal was the one that gave Belgium hope, and when Tielemans scored again three minutes later, Senegal were devastated. They had been so close to victory and a place in the round of 16, but Belgium somehow found that extra element required to save themselves and give De Bruyne, Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois hope of finally enjoying success with their country after so many near misses.
Belgium have been a big disappointment at this World Cup, but their comeback against Senegal might just be the catalyst for a hugely talented team to go deep into the competition.
Sarr earns his place among 2026 World Cup's stars
Ismaila Sarr moved to within one goal of Ghana's Asamoah Gyan as Africa's all-time leading scorer at World Cups by taking his tally to five overall, and four at this tournament, when he put Senegal ahead 2-0 early in the second half. It means that the Crystal Palace forward leaves the tournament behind Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé (both six) and Harry Kane and Erling Haaland (both five) in the race for the Golden Boot.
Even though Senegal's defeat ended his chances of topping the scoring charts, the 28-year-old has earned his place among the shooting stars at this tournament.
The big mystery about Sarr is that he has not yet attracted the interest of a Champions League team because he has already proved his Premier League credentials with impressive returns for both Palace and Watford. Sarr has pace and clinical finishing ability and both were in evidence with his goal in Seattle.
He is a dangerous forward with proven top-flight experience, and he's one the tournament will miss.
Belgium send round-of-16 warning to U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina
When Belgium defeated the USMNT in a friendly in March, it looked as though Mauricio Pochettino's team was miles behind the European side. But this World Cup has shown that the gap has closed, and if the co-hosts get past Bosnia-Herzegovina to seal a round-of-16 tie against the Red Devils, they will do so with confidence that they can win.
The same will apply to Bosnia-Herzegovina because Belgium have shown their shortcomings and their age in this tournament. But Belgium showed in beating Senegal that they still have incredible fighting spirit and quality in their team, and they'll be a big test for whoever wins in San Francisco tonight.
The big question is whether Belgium's comeback was a sign of things to come or one last flourish of their ability.