ITVX Live ended with Youri Tielemans driving Belgium into the last 16. His penalty in the 124th minute and 44 seconds completed a 3-2 comeback over Senegal after a match that swung from 2-0 down to extra-time chaos.
Belgium’s 3-2 turnaround
Belgium needed 86 minutes to get back into it, then 89 minutes to level. Romelu Lukaku, off the bench for Charles De Ketelaere at half-time, met Thomas Meunier’s cross at the front post for the first equaliser. That left one final twist in a game that had already gone past 120 minutes.
Rudi Garcia later said, “Lukaku tried to calm both of them down” when he described the second-half drinks-break argument between Tielemans and Leandro Trossard. He added, “I don’t know why they were arguing but I like that – we need that kind of grit on the pitch.” The comeback did not come from neat control. It came from a side that kept forcing contact, kept pushing runs into the box, and kept asking Senegal to defend one more phase.
Saíd Martínez and the review
Saíd Martínez sent the penalty to review after the incident involving Lamine Camara, and the award only stood once the video check had picked out the swipe at Tielemans’s left ankle. That sequence is why the finish felt contentious rather than routine: the goal did not arrive from open play, but from a call that had to survive scrutiny before Belgium could celebrate.
Belgium had a second comeback angle in its own history, having also recovered from 2-0 down to beat Japan 3-2 at Russia 2018. This time the stakes were heavier because Senegal were already out, and the win turned a late escape into a knockout result with the latest goal in World Cup history attached to it.
Monday against the USA
Belgium now move on to face the USA in the last 16 on Monday. Garcia’s post-match line was blunt: “When I took the team over 18 months ago, I thought they were very good when in control of the ball, but I thought they were not aggressive enough and that’s not how you get a result – you need to be solid, you need to battle to be there.” He finished with a simpler verdict: “We’re a better team if we keep this up.”
A tearful Camara headed down the tunnel with his green shirt still covering his face after the final whistle, a small image that matched Senegal’s collapse from 2-0 up. For Belgium, the practical takeaway is simpler: survive the penalty review, survive extra time, and the tournament path stays alive.
