The 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 produced one of the most dramatic, controversial and historic matches in tournament history Wednesday, as Belgium pulled off an unprecedented comeback from a two-goal deficit late in regulation to beat Senegal 3-2, with captain Youri Tielemans netting a record-breaking extra-time penalty to book his side’s spot in the Round of 16.
With just four minutes left in 90 minutes of regulation play, Senegal appeared certain to lock in their knockout stage advancement. Goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr had given Pape Thiaw’s side a 2-0 lead over the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists, who had been outplayed for most of the 86 minutes that preceded the late turnaround. As former Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane put it on ITV, Senegal somehow “found a way to lose the game” from a position of total control.
The comeback began with 33-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku, who had only played 69 minutes of club football in the lead-up to the tournament after an injury-plagued season. The substitute flicked home a cross from Thomas Meunier in the 86th minute to cut Senegal’s lead in half, sparking sudden life in a Belgium side that had looked set for an early flight home. Three minutes later, Leandro Trossard sent a cross into the box that Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw failed to clear, and Tielemans rose to head the ball into an empty net for the equalizer. Notably, the goal came just minutes after Tielemans and Trossard were captured on camera in a heated on-pitch argument during a hydration break, with Lukaku stepping in to mediate the dispute between the two teammates.
The draw at full-time forced the match into extra time, and deep into the second period of added time came the game’s decisive, controversial moment. A challenge from Senegal’s Lamine Camara on Tielemans inside the box was reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and the referee ultimately awarded a penalty to Belgium. Tielemans stepped up to convert the spot kick at 124 minutes and 44 seconds, making it the latest goal ever scored in World Cup history. The penalty decision immediately drew criticism from pundits, with former England defender Gary Neville saying “I genuinely don’t believe that is a penalty.” Roy Keane added that the decision was overly harsh, and that the referee’s long delay over the call demonstrated a lack of conviction that undermined confidence in the ruling.
For Senegal, the devastating late defeat echoes previous heartbreak at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. In that tournament’s final against hosts Morocco, a stoppage-time VAR-awarded penalty against Senegal sparked chaotic scenes that led to Thiaw pulling his team off the pitch, and ultimately saw Senegal stripped of their title despite a 1-0 win. Wednesday’s outcome left the side processing a second crushing late loss defined by VAR controversy.
“We’re out – it hurts,” Thiaw told reporters after the match. “We must congratulate the team, who gave it their all, but unfortunately we weren’t able to hold on to our two-goal lead. We have to accept this. That’s football.”
Belgium’s comeback makes history in its own right: this is the latest any side has come back from a two-or-more goal deficit in regulation time to avoid defeat at a World Cup. The Red Devils are also only the third team in the tournament’s history to pull off such a comeback win, following Germany’s feats against Hungary in 1954 and England in 1970, and Belgium’s own dramatic win over Japan in the 2018 World Cup. Uncoincidentally, many of the same players that featured in that 2018 Rostov comeback still remain in the squad eight years later, including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne, Meunier and Lukaku. Even with De Bruyne subbed off early in the second half (the earliest substitution of his World Cup career, a change that left the playmaker visibly frustrated), the remaining core of Belgium’s celebrated golden generation delivered when it mattered most.
“Football is just crazy. I couldn’t call any of this game,” former England striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live, summing up the match’s chaos. Dublin noted that “Senegal were better than Belgium for 70 minutes. Then Lukaku came on and changed the momentum.”
Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia highlighted the team’s resilience and depth after the historic win. “In football, anything is always possible as long as you believe in it,” Garcia said. “The strength of this squad also lies in the players who come off the bench, because you can’t get results with just 11 players.”
Far from the polished golden generation side that reached third place in 2018, this current Belgium squad has shown its flaws – from in-fighting to underperformance from key stars – but their dramatic comeback against Senegal has proven they still have the quality and mental toughness to compete deep into this 2026 World Cup. They will next face co-hosts the United States in the Round of 16.