Belgium staged a fantastic comeback against Senegal and progressed to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup
The Belgian national team defeated Senegal in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup. The match at Lumen Field in Seattle ended in a 3–2 victory for Belgium after extra time.
Senegal opened the scoring in the 25th minute. Habib Diarra was first to the rebound after Ismaïla Sarr’s header hit the post following a cross from Sadio Mané.
Early in the second half, the Senegalese doubled their lead. In the 51st minute, Ismaïla Sarr latched onto a pass from Moussa Niakhaté behind the defence and beat Thibaut Courtois. For Sarr, this was his fourth goal of the tournament.
Belgium only managed to get back into the game towards the end of the match. In the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku, who had come on as a substitute after the break, pulled one back following a cross from Thomas Meunier down the right flank.
Just a minute later, in the 89th minute, the Belgians equalised. Leandro Trossard delivered a cross into the penalty area, and Youri Tielemans headed the ball into the net following a mistake by Senegal’s goalkeeper Mori Diaw.
The match ended 2–2 after normal time, so the teams went into extra time.
Yuri Tielemans secured victory for Belgium in the 120+5th minute. He converted a penalty awarded by the referee following a foul by Lamine Kamara inside the Senegalese penalty area.
Thanks to this victory, Belgium have progressed to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. Their next opponents will be the winner of the match between the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
