Belgium staged one of the greatest escapes of the FIFA World Cup 2026, fighting back from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in their Round of 32 clash at Seattle Stadium on Wednesday. Trailing 2-0 with just four minutes of normal time remaining, the Red Devils mounted a remarkable late revival through Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans, before the midfielder converted a 120+5th-minute penalty to book Belgium's place in the Round of 16.
Rudi Garcia set Belgium up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Tielemans and Hans Vanaken controlling midfield, while Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard and Jérémy Doku supported Charles De Ketelaere in attack. However, Belgium struggled to break down Senegal's disciplined defensive structure during the opening hour.
Senegal, operating in a compact 4-3-3 under Pape Thiaw, executed their game plan superbly. Their midfield denied De Bruyne space between the lines, while Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye consistently threatened on the counter.
The breakthrough came in the 24th minute when Mané burst down the left and delivered a dangerous cross into the box. Sarr's flicked header struck the post before Habib Diarra reacted quickest to convert the rebound and hand Senegal a deserved lead.
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Belgium nearly found an equaliser deep into first-half stoppage time, but Mory Diaw produced an outstanding save to deny Maxim De Cuyper from close range and preserve Senegal's advantage at the break.
Garcia responded by introducing Romelu Lukaku for De Ketelaere at halftime, adding a physical presence in the penalty area. The move failed to produce an immediate response as Senegal doubled their lead in spectacular fashion six minutes into the second half.
Centre-back Moussa Niakhaté launched a perfectly weighted long ball from inside his own half, picking out Ismaïla Sarr's perfectly timed run behind Belgium's defence. The Crystal Palace forward brought the ball under control with an exquisite touch off his chest while holding off the defenders, before unleashing a thunderous volley past Thibaut Courtois, capping off one of the standout goals of the tournament so far.
Garcia then made another bold tactical call just four minutes later, withdrawing both De Bruyne and Doku in a bid to inject fresh energy into the contest.
The changes eventually transformed the game. Lukaku sparked the comeback in the 86th minute by clinically finishing from inside the area before Tielemans bravely headed home Trossard's cross three minutes later after Diaw misjudged his attempt to claim the delivery.
Belgium nearly completed the turnaround before penalties when Dodi Lukébakio crashed an effort against the crossbar in the 117th minute.
The decisive moment arrived with virtually the final kick of the match. Tielemans went down inside the area after Lamine Camara caught his left ankle while attempting to intercept a low cross. The referee initially waved play-on before VAR intervened. Following a lengthy review, the referee overturned his on-field decision and awarded Belgium a penalty, prompting furious protests from the Senegal players, who felt the contact did not warrant a spot-kick.
Tielemans calmly dispatched the penalty into the top-right corner to complete a stunning comeback and send Belgium through.
The victory marked only the second time Belgium have recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win a World Cup knockout match, having previously achieved the feat against Japan in the 2018 Round of 16. Tielemans' winner, which came after 124 minutes and 44 seconds, also set a new record for the latest winning goal in FIFA World Cup history.
Belgium will remain in Seattle for their Round of 16 clash on July 6, where they will face the winners of the United States' meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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