Tielemans Completes Miracle Comeback for Belgium
Youri Tielemans dragged Belgium back from the brink, then dragged them into the last 16.
Deep into stoppage time of extra time, with legs gone and nerves shredded, the midfielder stood over the ball knowing one clean strike would complete one of the great World Cup turnarounds. He didn’t blink. His penalty, drilled home after a lengthy video review, sealed a 3-2 win over Senegal and capped a comeback from two goals down in a wild round-of-32 tie on Thursday.
From 2-0 down and seemingly out, to 3-2 winners and alive again. Belgium’s World Cup story refuses to end quietly.
Senegal stun, Sarr shines
For more than an hour, this was Senegal’s night.
Missing injured goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, they still played with authority and edge. Habib Diarra gave them a deserved lead in the 25th minute, finishing off a move that exposed Belgium’s uncertainty at the back and set the tone for what looked like a statement African performance in the knockouts.
Then came the moment of pure artistry.
Six minutes after the break, Ismaïla Sarr produced one of the goals of the tournament. Moussa Niakhaté launched a long ball forward; Sarr killed it with a velvet touch on his chest, let it drop into stride and lashed his shot beyond Thibaut Courtois. One touch to control, one to finish, no mercy.
At 2-0, Senegal were cruising. Sarr had his fourth of this World Cup. Belgium looked heavy, short of ideas, and rattled.
To make matters worse for the Europeans, both Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku were withdrawn as early as the 56th minute, a double change that stunned the crowd and hinted at either physical concerns or a drastic tactical reset.
Lukaku lights the spark
For long stretches, Belgium’s response was flat. Possession without penetration. Crosses without conviction. Senegal sat compact, picked their moments to break, and looked the more composed side.
Then Romelu Lukaku arrived properly in the game.
With time draining away and Belgium staring at elimination, the substitute finally found the angle. In the 86th minute he struck, powering home to cut the deficit to 2-1 and, more importantly, to inject belief into a team that had looked short of it all evening.
The mood changed instantly. Belgium, suddenly urgent, threw everything forward. Senegal, so assured for so long, began to feel the weight of the clock.
Three minutes later, the pressure broke them.
Tielemans drags Belgium level
In the 89th minute, Tielemans stepped up as the second act of Belgium’s rescue job. He found the equaliser that forced extra time, punishing Senegal’s inability to close out a game they had controlled for so long.
From 2-0 up and comfortable, Senegal now had to survive another 30 minutes with momentum tilting sharply against them. Belgium, who had looked old and tired for much of the night, suddenly played with younger legs and clearer heads.
Extra time brought tension more than chances. Every duel felt decisive. Every mistake threatened to be fatal.
Then, in the final seconds, came the decisive collision.
Agony for Senegal, ecstasy for Belgium
Tielemans, driving into the box, collided with Lamine Camara. The referee initially let play continue, but as Senegal braced for penalties, the call came: a video review.
Several long minutes followed. Players waited. Coaches paced. An entire stadium held its breath as replays rolled and angles were checked.
Eventually, the referee pointed to the spot.
Tielemans took responsibility again. One more kick, one more chance to settle a chaotic night. He struck, scored, and sent Belgium into the round of 16 for the third time in four World Cups.
Senegal, who had emerged from a brutal group featuring two-time champions France and an Erling Haaland-led Norway as one of the best third-place finishers, saw their campaign ripped away in the final action of extra time.
Belgium advance, questions remain
Belgium’s World Cup record in the last decade remains impressive: quarterfinalists in 2014, semifinalists in 2018, now back in the knockouts after the disappointment of failing to escape the group in Qatar four years ago.
This time, they did it the hard way.
They now head to Santa Clara, California, where a round-of-16 clash with either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina awaits next week.
They will travel with momentum, with belief, and with the knowledge that they have already stared down elimination once.
But after a night that exposed both their fragility and their resilience, which version of Belgium will turn up when the stakes rise again?
