Belgium mounted a stunning comeback Wednesday, erasing a two-goal deficit to defeat Senegal 3-2 in extra time in the World Cup Round of 32. The victory sets up a potential Round of 16 showdown with the United States, provided the USMNT defeats Bosnia and Herzegovina later in the evening.
Senegal appeared in control for much of the match, taking a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when Habib Diarra cleaned up a rebound after Ismaila Sarr hit the post. The match saw a brief interruption in the 32nd minute when at least three pitch invaders ran onto the field, forcing officials to stop play while security responded. Photos from the scene showed multiple individuals being apprehended or escorted away during the bizarre stoppage.
Senegal doubled its advantage early in the second half. Sarr, who had already contributed to Diarra's opener, made Belgium pay again in the 51st minute off a pass from Moussa Niakhaté, putting Senegal firmly in control. At that point, Senegal seemed poised to advance to the Round of 16 for the second consecutive World Cup.
But Belgium refused to go quietly. Romelu Lukaku cut the lead in half in the 86th minute, finishing a setup from Thomas Meunier to give Belgium life. Moments later, Youri Tielemans completed the comeback, scoring off a pass from Leandro Trossard to make it 2-2 and throwing what had looked like a Senegal upset into chaos.
Remarkably, Belgium mounted its rally without two of its stars on the field. Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku were both substituted off in the 56th minute with Belgium trailing 2-0. The immediate replacements did not factor directly into either goal, but Belgium's bench played a major role: halftime substitute Lukaku scored the first, and Meunier, who came on in the 78th minute, assisted it.
After scoring the equalizer late in regulation, Tielemans stepped to the penalty spot in the 120+5th minute and buried the go-ahead goal to complete Belgium's stunning comeback. Senegal went from leading 2-0 in the 86th minute to watching its tournament run end less than an hour later.
Belgium finished third in the 2018 World Cup and failed to advance past the group stage in 2022, but the roster still featured star power including De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku, and Thibaut Courtois. That talent made Belgium the favorite against Senegal, but the match proved far from straightforward.
Now the focus shifts to the Americans. The U.S. enters Wednesday night's match at Levi's Stadium with a chance to keep its World Cup run alive in front of a home crowd. The reward is clear: beat Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belgium is next. The USMNT was favored to advance to the quarterfinals on its side of the Round of 32 draw, with Belgium as the second favorite. For most of the match, it looked like the Americans might avoid Belgium altogether. Not anymore.
The Belgians survived and are riding high off a heroic comeback, perhaps making the U.S. path that much more difficult. But before the Americans can even think about that, they have to take care of business against Bosnia. If they do, their Round of 16 opponent is set. Belgium will be waiting.