Belgium Completed Dramatic Extra-Time Comeback to Eliminate Senegal
- Philip Fox
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Credit Sky Sports
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Senegal and Belgium met on July 1st for a Round of 32 knockout match in Seattle, Washington, under cool, cloudy skies with temperatures around 66 degrees. Senegal reached the knockout rounds with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq, earning the final spot among the Best Third-Placed Teams. Belgium finished first in its group after drawing with Egypt and Iran before earning a decisive 5-1 victory over New Zealand.
Belgium started in a 4-2-3-1 formation under manager Rudi Garcia. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois started in the net. His back line featured Maxim De Cuyper at left back, Arthur Theate and Brandon Mechele at center back, and Timothy Castagne at right back. The defensive midfield pairing consisted of Hans Vanaken and captain Youri Tielemans. In attack, Kevin De Bruyne played as the attacking midfielder, with Leandro Trossard on the right wing and Jeremy Doku on the left wing. Charles De Ketelaere led the line at striker.
Senegal started in a 4-3-3 formation under manager Pape Thiaw. Goalkeeper Mory Diaw started in net. His back line featured Ismail Jakobs at left back, Moussa Niakhaté and Pathé Ciss as the center-back pairing, and Krépin Diatta at right back. The midfield consisted of Pape Gueye, captain Idrissa Gana Gueye, and Habib Diarra. Leading the attack were Sadio Mané on the left wing, Ismaïla Sarr at striker, and Iliman Ndiaye on the right wing.
The game started exactly as any neutral would have hoped, with plenty of attacking play and physical, end-to-end action. Senegal was the first to find the net. Star winger Mané got past his marker and curled a perfect cross into the middle of the box, where Sarr was waiting. Sarr flicked a brilliant header toward goal, but it bounced off the post. With Courtois still on the ground, Habib Diarra reacted first and tapped the rebound into the empty net to give Senegal a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.
The first half ended with that scoreline, but Belgium carried plenty of momentum into the break. Belgium held 51% possession and recorded five shots, two of which were on target. Senegal produced seven shots, with three on target.
The second half began with Senegal doubling its lead just six minutes after the restart. Sarr made a perfectly timed run behind the defense, controlled a long clearance from Niakhaté with his chest, struck the ball on the half-volley, and powered his shot past Courtois. Senegal's lead grew to 2-0.
Senegal continued to apply pressure for another 20 minutes before Belgium finally responded. In the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku cut Senegal's lead in half. Substitute Thomas Meunier chased down a loose ball and fired a cross into the penalty area, where Lukaku finished from close range.
Belgium refused to let up. Just three minutes later, Trossard lofted a perfect cross into the box, and captain Tielemans rose above his defender to head the ball into the back of the net, leveling the match at 2-2 with only minutes remaining in regulation.
By the end of the second half, Belgium had controlled 55% possession while recording 11 shots, two of which found the back of the net. Senegal managed six shots, with one on target. After neither side could find a winner in regulation, the match headed to extra time.
Extra time saw both teams struggle to maintain possession and create quality chances. Belgium managed just one shot in the first extra-time period, while Senegal failed to register one. Neither team recorded a shot on target during extra time, and penalties appeared inevitable.
However, in the 120th minute, after a lengthy VAR review, Belgium was awarded a penalty when Tielemans was brought down while attempting to reach a low cross inside the penalty area. Tielemans stepped up to take the penalty himself and calmly buried his shot into the top-right corner as Diaw dove the opposite direction. Belgium completed its comeback at the very end of the match to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The match finished with Belgium holding 52% possession, while both teams recorded 19 shots, including 5 on target. It was a hard-fought contest between two evenly matched sides, and Senegal could certainly have been proud of its performance despite the heartbreaking defeat. Belgium advanced to face the United States of America on Monday, July 6th, in Seattle, Washington.
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