Belgium Stuns Senegal with Tielemans' Last-Gasp Penalty

Belgium were staring at the exit door. Two goals down, legs heavy, ideas fading, a World Cup campaign about to die in the round of 32. Then Romelu Lukaku arrived, Youri Tielemans took over, and Senegal were left stunned by one of the great late turnarounds of this tournament.

Tielemans, already the architect of the equaliser in normal time, delivered the final cut in stoppage time of extra time, rolling in a penalty for a 3-2 win after a lengthy VAR review in Santa Clara. From 0-2 to 3-2. From despair to the round of 16.

Senegal’s dream start

Senegal, patched up and missing injured goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, played as if they had no intention of hanging around. They were sharper, more aggressive, and ruthless when the chances came.

Habib Diarra broke Belgium open first in the 25th minute, punishing a defence that never looked fully settled. The African side had come through a brutal group containing France and an Erling Haaland-led Norway, sneaking into the knockouts as one of the best third-place finishers. They carried that edge into this tie.

After the break, they added style to substance.

In the 51st minute, Ismaïla Sarr produced a moment that will live long beyond this match. He cushioned a long, raking ball from Moussa Niakhaté on his chest with a perfect first touch, set himself in one motion, and whipped his finish past Thibaut Courtois. His fourth goal of the World Cup. His most spectacular yet.

At 2-0, Belgium looked broken. The stadium felt it. So did their bench.

Big names off, big questions asked

Then came a twist that raised eyebrows. In the 56th minute, with Belgium chasing the game, both Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku were withdrawn. Two of their most dangerous creators, gone with more than half an hour still to play.

It looked like a white flag. Instead, it became the spark.

The game grew stretched. Senegal sat a little deeper, protecting what they had. Belgium, now more direct, began to throw bodies and crosses forward, Lukaku increasingly the focal point.

For long spells, it led nowhere. Misplaced passes, hopeful shots, frustration. Time bled away.

Lukaku lights the fuse

Then, with the clock sliding towards the 90th minute, Lukaku did what Lukaku does.

In the 86th minute he finally found the gap, muscling his way into position and striking to drag Belgium back into the contest. One goal. A flicker of belief. The Senegal fans, so loud for so long, suddenly checked the scoreboard.

Belgium smelled weakness. They did not wait.

Just three minutes later, Tielemans struck again, this time to level. In the 89th minute he arrived to force extra time, his timing and composure dragging his country away from the brink. From nowhere, Belgium were alive, and Senegal’s earlier control had vanished.

Extra time, and a brutal finale

Extra time brought tension more than clear chances. Legs were gone, minds were tired, and every attack carried the weight of a tournament.

Senegal tried to reset, to slow the game, to hold on for penalties. Belgium kept probing, feeding off the momentum of their late surge.

Then, in the dying seconds of extra time, came the decisive moment.

Tielemans drove into the area and collided with Lamine Camara. The referee waved play on at first, but the VAR check dragged on for several long, suffocating minutes. Players stood in clusters. Coaches paced. A World Cup path hung in the balance.

Eventually, the decision arrived: penalty to Belgium.

Tielemans, who had already hauled his side level, stepped up with the stadium holding its breath. No flourish, no fuss. He sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and buried the winner deep into stoppage time of extra time.

Belgium’s bench exploded. Senegal’s players sank to the turf.

Belgium back among the last 16

The victory sends Belgium into the round of 16 for the third time in four World Cups. This is a team with recent pedigree in the knockouts: quarterfinalists in 2014, semifinalists in 2018, but scarred by a group-stage exit in Qatar four years ago.

Now they head to Santa Clara again next week to face either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina, their campaign suddenly re-energised by a night that veered from disaster to delirium.

Senegal, who had led 2-0 and showcased one of the goals of the tournament through Sarr, leave with regret and a sense of what might have been.

Belgium leave with something else: proof that, even without their brightest stars on the pitch at the finish, they still know how to suffer, to claw, and to win when it matters most.