Belgium Stage Dramatic Comeback To Eliminat…

Belgium rallied back from two goals to secure a 3-2 win over Senegal in extra-time and secured their spot in the Last 16 of the FIFA World Cup.

Fixture: Belgium v Senegal
Score: 3-2
Goalscorers: Diarra (25′), Sarr (51′) / Lukaku (86′), Tielemans (89′, 120+5′)

The opening stages of the first half belonged to Senegal, who showed no signs of poor form following a somewhat disappointing group stage phase where they lost two games, as Ismaila Sarr squandered a couple good chances in the opening 15 minuets.

The Lions of Teranga got their reward in the 24th minute when Habib Diarra fired home from close range after Sarr saw his initial header crash against the crossbar following some good work by Mane on the left flank.

It was a deserved opening goal for the African champions, as the Belgians struggled to get the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard on the ball and without a focal point in the attack, they were restricted to efforts from distance.

That proved to be the trend for the remainder of the first half for the Belgians as the Senegalese defence were able to snuff out any entry into the final 18-yard area, although Maxim De Cuyper did go close to pulling his side level just before the break with a thunderous strike from distance that forced goalkeeper Mory Diaw into a fine save.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia unsurprisingly threw on Romelu Lukaku at the start of the second with the hope getting back on level terms, but it was Senegal who doubled their lead six minutes in when Moussa Niakhaté’s superb long pass found Sarr, who controlled brilliantly on his chest before volleying past Thibaut Courtois.

Sarr has been having a superb campaign for the Lions of Teranga, having now brought up his fourth goal of the tournament, moving him level with Cameroon legend Roger Milla for most goals by African player in one World Cup campaign.

Meanwhile, frustrations began to boil over for Belgium as the time began to run out after Trossard and captain Youri Tielemans clash in a heated exchange and needed to be separated by teammates just before the hydration break.

The exchange may have been the catalyst to spark the Belgian’s comeback as Lukaku halved the deficit on 86 minutes before Trossard turned provider to pick out Tielemans, who sent a fine header into the back of the net as the clash moved on to extra-time.

There weren’t many fireworks in extra-time and everything seemed to be heading towards a penalty shoot-out until Belgium awarded a penalty in the 122nd minute following a review on the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) monitor. Tielemans, who won the penalty, took responsibility and calmly slotted home to send the Red Devils to the next round.

Key Performers:

Lukaku came off the bench to good effect in the second and kickstarted the comeback, while Tielemans took the game by the scruff of the neck and contributed with two goals.

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