Belgium looked cooked. Properly cooked.
Down 2–0 to Senegal in the final minutes of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash in Seattle, the Red Devils were staring at the exit door while Senegal looked set for a massive spot in the last 16.
Then football did that very annoying thing where it refuses to behave.
In the 86th minute, substitute Romelu Lukaku dragged Belgium back into the match, turning in a Thomas Meunier cross to make it 2–1 and give the whole thing a pulse again.
Fine. Consolation goal, maybe. Bit of late chaos. Nothing too wild.
Except 161 seconds later, Youri Tielemans arrived with a header to make it 2–2, and suddenly Senegal’s comfortable knockout win had turned into one of the most ridiculous late collapses of the tournament.
Watch the highlights below, because the whole sequence has that “surely not” energy from the second Lukaku scores.
Senegal had been excellent for most of the match. Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr had put them two goals up, and for long stretches Belgium looked flat, frustrated and very close to joining the pile of big teams sent packing early.
Instead, the late Belgian burst forced extra time, where the drama somehow got even messier.
With penalties looming, Tielemans went down in the box after a challenge from Lamine Camara. After a long VAR review, Belgium were awarded a spot-kick deep into extra time.
Naturally, Tielemans took it himself.
The Belgian captain converted in the 125th minute to seal a 3–2 win, complete the comeback, and score what has been reported as the latest goal in World Cup history.
Senegal were furious. Belgium were delirious. Everyone watching was probably still trying to work out how a match that looked done in the 85th minute had completely flipped by full-time.
Belgium now move into the Round of 16, while Senegal are left with one of the most brutal “what just happened?” exits you’ll see at a World Cup.
Again: 2–0 down in the 86th minute. Winner in the 125th.
Football is very stupid. Beautiful, but stupid.
