Veteran Belgium Rage Against the Dying of the Light to Defeat Senegal in Thrilling World Cup Match
Belgium staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Senegal 3-2 in a Round of 32 tie in Seattle. Trailing 2-0, Rudy Garcia's side scored two goals in three minutes to force extra-time, before a Youri Tielemans penalty in the 120th minute sealed the win.
Senegal had taken a two-goal lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr, but Romelu Lukaku's 86th-minute goal sparked a Belgian fightback. Tielemans then scored an 89th-minute header to take the game into extra-time, before converting a penalty in the 120th minute to book a Round of 16 tie against either the United States or Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The win came after Garcia substituted star players Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne with his team trailing 2-0, a move that seemed to spark Belgium to life. Sarr had earlier moved to within one goal of Ghana's Asamoah Gyan as Africa's all-time leading scorer at World Cups, but his team's defeat ended his chances of topping the scoring charts.
The result sets up a potential Round of 16 tie against the United States or Bosnia & Herzegovina, with both teams likely to be confident of causing an upset against a Belgian side that has shown its shortcomings in the tournament. However, Belgium's fightback against Senegal demonstrated their fighting spirit and quality, making them a big test for their next opponents.
Senegal had taken a two-goal lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr, but Romelu Lukaku's 86th-minute goal sparked a Belgian fightback. Tielemans then scored an 89th-minute header to take the game into extra-time, before converting a penalty in the 120th minute to book a Round of 16 tie against either the United States or Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The win came after Garcia substituted star players Jérémy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne with his team trailing 2-0, a move that seemed to spark Belgium to life. Sarr had earlier moved to within one goal of Ghana's Asamoah Gyan as Africa's all-time leading scorer at World Cups, but his team's defeat ended his chances of topping the scoring charts.
The result sets up a potential Round of 16 tie against the United States or Bosnia & Herzegovina, with both teams likely to be confident of causing an upset against a Belgian side that has shown its shortcomings in the tournament. However, Belgium's fightback against Senegal demonstrated their fighting spirit and quality, making them a big test for their next opponents.
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