Belgium rally past Senegal in
Photo: Lindsey Wasson/AP/TT

Belgium rally past Senegal in extra time to reach World Cup round of 16

Senegal had a good hold on Belgium for 86 minutes. Then it let two slip away. In extra time came the third. Belgium won 3-2 and advanced to the round of 16 at the World Cup. “In football, anything is possible as long as you believe in it,” says Belgium coach Rudi Garcia.

Many had probably already written Belgium off from the World Cup after 86 minutes of the round-of-32 match. But then the national team produced a huge turnaround. Tielemans was the architect.

Midway through the first half, Senegal took a 1-0 lead after a huge blunder. Just over five minutes into the second half, Ismaila Sarr added his fourth goal of the tournament.

When hope then seemed to have gone, Romelu Lukaku stepped up in the 86th minute and pulled one back. Three minutes later, Tielemans headed in the equaliser for 2-2. The same Tielemans got another chance in the 125th minute of the match, this time from the penalty spot, but hit the crossbar.

The penalty came after a long VAR review after Lamine Camara had fouled Tielemans in the penalty area.

Belgium will face the winner of the match between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 16.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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