FIFA World Cup: Belgium stun Senegal 3-2 to reach R16
What's the story
Belgium pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32. The match was played at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) on Wednesday. As per ESPN, this was only the second instance in the last 11 World Cups of a team coming back from two or more goals down in the knockout round and advancing.
Match highlights
A late comeback for the Red Devils
Senegal's Habib Diarra (24th minute) and Ismaila Sarr (51st minute) scored to give their team a 2-0 lead. However, Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, who came off the bench, scored in the 86th minute to bring his team back into contention. Youri Tielemans then equalized in the 89th minute, forcing extra time. He was fouled just before the end of extra time, leading to a penalty decision after VAR review. Tielemans scored in the 125th minute, making it the latest goal ever scored in World Cup history.
Information
A look at match stats
Belgium had 48% possession compared to Senegal's 42%, with 10% in the contest. Both sides made 15 attempts on goal, with nine on target. Meanwhile, Belgium completed 607 of their 695 passes.
Previous performance
Third Round of 16 appearance for Belgium
The late comeback was reminiscent of Belgium's similar feat against Japan in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. Belgium qualified for the Round of 16 for the third time in four tournaments. The team reached the quarter-finals in 2014 and semi-finals in 2018. However, they failed to progress beyond the group stage four years ago in Qatar. Now, they will take on the United States, who defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday in Seattle.
Landmarks
Notable milestones
As mentioned, Tielemans's winning penalty for Belgium was the latest goal scored in FIFA World Cup history (124:44). Senegal's Sarr recorded goals in 2026, the joint-most by an African player in a FIFA World Cup edition, along with Roger Milla in 1990, according to Opta. Thibaut Courtois now has the joint third-most appearances in the tournament, with Fernando Muslera.