Belgium looked dead and buried at 0-2 down with four minutes of regular time remaining. Then they did what Belgium does in World Cups: made everyone question whether they’d actually been watching the same match.
In one of the most dramatic Round of 32 encounters in FIFA World Cup history, Belgium clawed back from a two-goal deficit to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in Seattle on July 1, 2026. The winning goal, a Youri Tielemans penalty in the 125th minute, came after a VAR-reviewed decision that will be dissected, debated, and relitigated for years.
Senegal’s masterclass, then collapse
Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the 25th minute, and the Lions of Teranga carried that energy into the second half with purpose and precision.
Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead in the 51st minute. Then the 86th minute happened. Romelu Lukaku found the net to make it 2-1. Three minutes later, Tielemans equalized. Two goals in three minutes.
