Senegal were two minutes from a place in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 when it all fell apart. Manager Pape Thiaw's side led Belgium 2-0 with four minutes of normal time remaining — and ended up losing in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr had Senegal firmly in control, yet Belgium mounted a comeback that has no precedent in World Cup history. No team had ever recovered from trailing by two or more goals so late in regulation time and avoided defeat — until now.

Lukaku lights the fuse

The turnaround began in the 86th minute when Romelu Lukaku, the 33-year-old striker who had managed only 69 minutes of club football all last season, flicked home Thomas Meunier's cross to halve the deficit. "Senegal were better than Belgium for 70 minutes. Then Lukaku came on and changed the momentum," former England striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Three minutes later, Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw failed to deal with Leandro Trossard's cross and Youri Tielemans rose to head into an empty net. The sides were level — and headed to extra time.

The penalty that ended it all

Deep into extra time, a VAR review resulted in a penalty being awarded for Lamine Camara's challenge on Tielemans. The Belgium captain stepped up and converted at 124 minutes and 44 seconds — the latest goal ever scored in World Cup history — to send his side through and shatter Senegal's hopes.

The decision sparked immediate controversy. "I genuinely don't believe that is a penalty," said former England defender Gary Neville on ITV. Roy Keane, the ex-Republic of Ireland captain, added: "The penalty is a bit harsh and the referee took so long to look at the screen. You want conviction in the referee's decision and he was hesitating for a long time."

For Senegal, the scenes were painfully familiar. At the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat earlier this year, a stoppage-time VAR penalty against El Hadji Malick Diouf's challenge on Brahim Diaz cost them the title against Morocco — Senegal were later stripped of the trophy despite winning 1-0, following Thiaw's decision to lead his players off the pitch.

"We're out — it hurts," Thiaw said after the Belgium defeat. "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 old guard refuses to fade

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia praised the depth of his squad after the 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."

Of the side that finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, only Thibaut Courtois, Kevin de Bruyne, Meunier, Lukaku, and 37-year-old Axel Witsel remain. De Bruyne was withdrawn after 58 minutes to his visible frustration, yet Belgium still found a way. Meunier provided the cross for Lukaku's opener, while Courtois remained commanding in goal.

Lukaku also played peacemaker after Tielemans and Trossard were seen arguing heatedly during a hydration break in the second half. "They are at each other's throats and it's boiling over, which is not a good look," Dublin noted.

Belgium next face either co-hosts United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 16. Their aging core has already proved it still carries the quality to make a deep run at this tournament. "Football is just crazy. I couldn't call any of this game," Dublin said — and it was hard to disagree.