Youri Tielemans scored the latest goal in World Cup history from the penalty spot as Belgium launched an extraordinary comeback to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in the last 32.
2026 World Cup
3-2
Match Report
Youri Tielemans scored the latest goal in World Cup history from the penalty spot as Belgium launched an extraordinary comeback to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time in the last 32.
Senegal looked to be cruising into a last-16 tie against either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina after Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr scored either side of half-time.
Having surprisingly withdrawn Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne after going 2-0 down, Belgium were lacklustre until Romelu Lukaku's predatory finish sparked them into life in the 86th minute, and a misjudgement from Mory Diaw saw Tielemans equalise three minutes later.
Neither team showed much attacking ambition in extra time until Tielemans went down under Lamine Camara's challenge right at the end of the additional period. A lengthy VAR review led to the spot-kick being awarded, and the Belgium skipper dusted himself down to score the winner in the 125th minute.
124:44 - Youri Tieleman’s winning penalty for Belgium is the latest goal scored in FIFA World Cup history.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 1, 2026
Chaotic. pic.twitter.com/w1gI95LaL9
Senegal's pace caused Belgium problems from the start, and they should have gone ahead when Ismail Jakobs' cross was spilled at the feet of Sarr by Thibaut Courtois. The Crystal Palace forward somehow hit the post with his first effort, then turned wide on the follow-up while grounded.
But Senegal had more luck with another rebound off the post in the 25th minute, as Diarra finished into an empty net after Sarr's flicked header bounced off the same upright.
Rudi Garcia threw on Lukaku at half-time, but Senegal got right back on the front foot and doubled their advantage six minutes into the second period. Sarr raced in behind Belgium's defence, brilliantly took Moussa Niakhate's pass down on his chest, then thumped the bouncing ball into the top-right corner.
Belgium's cause looked hopeless until the final four minutes of the 90, but Lukaku got them back into the contest with a sweeping, near-post finish from Thomas Meunier's cross.
Leandro Trossard and Tielemans – who had been involved in a heated exchange during the second-half hydration break – then combined for the equaliser, with the latter taking advantage of Diaw's misjudgement to send a looping header into the empty net.
At the end of the additional half-hour, Dodi Lukebakio rattled the crossbar, but a VAR intervention led to a penalty being awarded for Camara's lunge on Tielemans earlier in the move, and the Aston Villa man placed the all-important kick into the top-right corner.
#FIFAWorldCup #Qualified @mcdonalds pic.twitter.com/LZwyJ5ODyE
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 1, 2026
Belgium replicate 2018 heroics as Premier League stars take centre-stage
These teams had stumbled through the group stages, but with both plundering five goals on matchday three to advance, it always felt as though there could be drama.
For 86 of the 90 minutes, it was largely one-way traffic in Senegal's favour. And, on the day that Premier League players (from 2025-26) reached 100 goal involvements at this World Cup – the century coming when Anthony Gordon assisted Harry Kane for England's equaliser versus DR Congo – their English top-flight representatives did the damage.
Having also struck in Senegal's 5-0 rout of Iraq, Sunderland's Diarra became the first Senegal player to score in his first two World Cup starts, while Sarr matched the single-edition goal record by an African player, with four (also Cameroon's Roger Milla in 1990).
One player who used to light up the Premier League, De Bruyne, took his leave in the 56th minute – the earliest he has ever been substituted at the tournament. That looked certain to be his World Cup swansong, but Belgium had other ideas.
They launched the latest-ever two-goal comeback to avoid defeat inside 90 minutes in a World Cup game, then, courtesy of Tielemans' spot-kick, they became the first team to recover from two goals down to win a World Cup knockout tie since 2018, when the Red Devils themselves did so against Japan (also 3-2 in extra time).
They are just the second side to win two such games in the competition's history, along with West Germany (versus Hungary in 1954 and England in 1970).
Line-ups
Belgium XI: Courtois, De Bruyne, Vanaken, Trossard, Mechele, Tielemans, Castagne, Maxim De Cuyper, De Ketelaere, Doku, Arthur Theate
Subs: Witsel, Lukaku, Meunier, Dodi Lukébakio, Nicolas Raskin, Alexis Saelemaekers, Amadou Onana, Senne Lammens, Koni De Winter, Nathan Ngoy, Diego Moreira, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Mike Penders, Joaquin Seys
Senegal XI: Gueye, Mory Diaw, Mane, Niakhate, Sarr, Pape Gueye, Diatta, Pathé Ciss, Ismail Jakobs, Iliman Ndiaye, Habib Diarra
Subs: Koulibaly, Abdoulaye Seck, Yehvann Diouf, Cherif Ndiaye, Antoine Mendy, Pape Sarr, Nicolas Jackson, Bamba Dieng, Mamadou Sarr, Lamine Camara, Assane Diao, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mbaye, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye