Belgium Edges Senegal In World Cup Drama After Late Collapse
Belgium fought back from 2-0 down to beat Senegal 3-2 in extra time at the 2026 World Cup, advancing to the round of 16 after Senegal's defensive collapse in the second half.
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia said Senegal made a critical error by retreating defensively after leading 2-0, allowing a team of Belgium's caliber to break through their defense. Senegal coach Aliou Cissé declined to criticize the penalty conceded but admitted his team squandered their advantage.
In the 2026 World Cup round-of-32 match, Belgium narrowly defeated Senegal 3-2 in extra time (2-2 after 90 minutes) to advance to the round of 16, where they will face the winner of the USA-Bosnia match on July 6.
Senegal scored first through Abib Diarra in the 25th minute and Ismaila Sarr in the 51st minute. Belgium equalized with goals from Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute and Yuri Tielemans in the 89th minute. Belgium earned a penalty during injury time in extra time, which Tielemans converted in the 120+5th minute.
Garcia said: "When they led 2-0, we knew they would do everything to defend. I think that was a serious mistake, and it's a lesson for me not to do that. As you saw, once we pulled it back to 1-2, the game changed, and we knew a team like this would break their system."
Cissé said: "We must congratulate the team that gave everything. We couldn't maintain our advantage from a 2-0 lead. As for the penalty we conceded, everyone can have their opinion, but I don't want to comment on that."
