Seattle Stadium was the venue for a thrilling and dramatic matchup between Belgium and Senegal in the Round of 32, where in the end, it was the Red Devils who took the 3-2 victory with a remarkable comeback display in added extra time.
The goal, a penalty awarded five minutes after the 120th-minute mark, was indeed the latest winner in World Cup history. This was by far the most dramatic match of the tournament. It deserved its own miniseries.
Goals from Habib Diarra and a work of art from Ismaila Sarr secured the goals for Senegal at the start, and it appeared that was all that was needed in order to secure the win, but in incredible fashion, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans took it back to 2-2 in the late moments of the match, which sent the game to a dramatic finale in extra time.
That’s when the UEFA side really started to find its rhythm and kept knocking at the door for a winner. And so, as we reached the near certainty of penalties, Tielemans was fouled inside the box; it was confirmed by the official thanks to reviewing it on screen.
Aston Villa’s man took it with perfection and netted the winning goal to send his team to the Round of 16.
As for Senegal? A heartbreaking defeat where the Lions of Teranga will probably look back at the tape and say to themselves: how on earth did we lose that?
Here are my takeaways.
1. In Football, Nothing Ever Is As It Seems
For almost the entirety of the match, Senegal controlled this match. Senegal’s expected-goal (xG) metric was far superior (2.71 to Belgium’s 0.53) and even though I am not an xG super-nerd who totally believes in the fact that it determines outcomes, I am a believer in the laws of probability. It was assumed that the West African team did more than enough to secure the victory.
But assumptions, my friends, is the mother of all party crashers. You can never rely on them.
Consequently, in the space of three minutes and out of nowhere, Belgium turned the game around as Lukaku and Tielemans equalized in the 83rd and 86th minute, respectively.
This is the best example of World Cup action. You can’t ever take your eye off it because all it takes is one attempt.
2. Tielemans-Trossard Quarrel Fueled Rally
In the 72nd minute, when all seemed lost for Belgium, the Aston Villa midfielder clashed with Leandro Trossard as the duo were in the middle of a heated exchange before the hydration break to the point that they had to be separated.
The Belgians were falling apart and crumbling under desperation. But in actuality, it was the fire that was needed in order to inspire the comeback.
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
And wouldn’t you know it? In the 86th minute, both combined for the all-important leveler as Trossard crossed in for a great ball as Tielemans headed it in.
And in extra time, Tielemans, who had scored the opening goal for Villa in the Europa League final back in May, scored a clutch penalty to earn the precious win.
Sometimes, even teammates need to be pushed against each other in order to get the best out of them. Tielemans’ argument with Trossard sparked something inside of him.
3. Senegal Can Only Blame Itself
It was a gut-wrenching loss and one that surely broke the hearts of all Senegalese fans. And I truly feel for them.
But the team has only itself to blame. At 2-0 up, with seven minutes remaining in regular time, Thiaw should have done a better job at protecting what it had and become more defense-minded. It was also losing the ball in silly moments and becoming extremely careless in possession and so it allowed cross after cross from Belgium.
I think Edouard Mendy was sorely missed too because I think some of those goals could have been avoided. Unfortunately, Mory Diaw had a terrible match.
Knockout football is never about how you start. It’s how you finish. And Senegal forgot this precious lesson.
4. Despite Loss, Sarr Was Tremendous
The 28-year-old forward/winger is so good at playing across the front line, he can pretty much go anywhere and be a nightmare against an opponent.
On Wednesday, manager Pape Thiaw decided to place him as the target man with Sadio Mané and liman Ndiaye on either side.
It worked to perfection as Sarr capitalized on every ball to make it dangerous for the Belgian defensive line, whilst getting on the end of any cross that came his way.
The start of the match saw the Lions of Teranga with a lot of possession and making some great opportunities, including in the 14th minute when Ismaïla Sarr’s effort hit the post and then forced Thibaut Courtois to clear the ball. But Sarr kept going as his header set up the first goal.
His second opportunity? To me, it was a thing of beauty as he received a beautiful ball from Moussa Niakhaté and with a lovely first touch and finish (memories of Dennis Bergkamp’s goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup quarterfinals), he made it 2-0.
It was a moment of perfection. What a match from Sarr, who became his country’s all-time scorer at this tournament with four goals.
Belgium vs Senegal Extended Highlights 🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup™ | Round of 32
