Senegal was Seconds Away from Round of 16 before Belgium Stage Stunning Late Comeback
By TUW
Belgium national football team pulled off one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the tournament, eliminating Senegal national football team 3–2 after extra time in a breathtaking Round of 32 clash, despite Senegal being seconds away from a famous victory.
Senegal looked firmly in control for most of the match after racing into a 2–0 lead, with goals that stunned the Belgian defence and had their supporters dreaming of a place in the Round of 16. For long spells, Belgium struggled to break down a disciplined Senegalese side that defended deep and threatened on the counterattack.
But football can change in an instant.
With the clock approaching the 90th minute, Belgium launched a late surge that completely flipped the match on its head. Romelu Lukaku sparked the comeback with a crucial goal to make it 2–1, before Youri Tielemans struck soon after to level the score at 2–2, silencing the Senegal bench and sending the match into extra time.
In extra time, Belgium carried the momentum and eventually found the decisive moment. Tielemans stepped up again, converting a penalty deep into stoppage time (120+5) to complete the comeback and seal a 3–2 victory.
The result ended Senegal’s World Cup hopes in painful fashion, as they were eliminated despite being in control for most of the match and leading 2–0 until the final moments of regulation time. Belgium, meanwhile, advanced to the Round of 16 after one of the most dramatic knockout wins of the tournament.
A match that once looked like Senegal’s night turned into a crushing reminder of how quickly momentum can shift on football’s biggest stage.
