Belgium survived a dramatic World Cup scare to eliminate Senegal 3-2 after extra time in their FIFA World Cup 2026 last-32 tie in Seattle on Wednesday, with Youri Tielemans converting a penalty in the 125th minute to seal one of the tournament's most remarkable comebacks.

Senegal looked set to advance comfortably after Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr gave the Teranga Lions a deserved 2-0 advantage. The African side were cruising towards the round of 16 when Belgium staged a breathtaking late recovery, scoring twice in the final four minutes through Romelu Lukaku and Tielemans to drag the match into extra time.

The decisive moment arrived deep in the additional period when Lamine Camara slid in on Tielemans as the ball swept across the face of goal. A VAR review confirmed the penalty, and Tielemans stepped up to send it into the top corner, completing an extraordinary turnaround.

African dream ends in heartbreak again

Senegal became the fourth African nation to exit the tournament after a narrow last-32 defeat, joining South Africa, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in an agonising continental exit that underlines just how fine the margins are at this World Cup.

For Belgium, the relief was immense. A side that appeared to have their World Cup dream extinguished — trailing by two goals with barely four minutes remaining — lived to fight another day in remarkable fashion.

Belgium now advance to face the winner of Wednesday's other last-32 fixture between co-hosts United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with that match also taking place in Seattle. The clash is scheduled for Monday.