Belgium produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the World Cup, defeating Senegal 3-2 after extra time to secure a place in the last 16.
Softfootball understands that Senegal looked on course for a famous victory after goals from Sunderland’s Habib Diarra and Crystal Palace forward Ismaïla Sarr gave them a 2-0 lead with just minutes remaining. However, Belgium refused to give up as substitute Romelu Lukaku pulled one back before Youri Tielemans scored a quick equaliser, sending the match into extra time.
With penalties approaching, Belgium won a dramatic spot-kick in the 125th minute after Tielemans was brought down by Lamine Camara. Following a lengthy seven-minute VAR review, the referee awarded the penalty, and Tielemans stepped up to complete Belgium’s stunning turnaround.
The defeat means Senegal are eliminated from the tournament, alongside Ivory Coast, after their impressive run came to an end. Belgium will now continue their World Cup journey in the knockout stages after surviving a major scare.
Player Ratings
| Belgium Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Thibaut Courtois | 6.8 |
| Timothy Castagne | 7.4 |
| Arthur Theate | 7.3 |
| Brandon Mechele | 7.5 |
| Maxim De Cuyper | 6.5 |
| Hans Vanaken | 6.3 |
| Youri Tielemans | 9.2 |
| Leandro Trossard | 8.5 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 6.7 |
| Jérémy Doku | 6.9 |
| Charles De Ketelaere | 5.8 |
| Romelu Lukaku | 8.2 |
| Senegal Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Mory Diaw | 4.0 |
| Krépin Diatta | 7.0 |
| Moussa Niakhaté | 7.1 |
| Pathé Ciss | 7.0 |
| Ismail Jakobs | 6.2 |
| Pape Gueye | 6.4 |
| Idrissa Gueye | 7.0 |
| Habib Diarra | 8.0 |
| Sadio Mané | 7.2 |
| Ismaïla Sarr | 8.6 |
| Iliman Ndiaye | 6.8 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Belgium | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| Ball possession | 53% | 47% |
| Attempts | 16 | 13 |
| On target | 4 | 4 |
| Corners | 4 | 1 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 |
| Passes | 456 | 403 |
