Match Summary · United States · World Cup · Football · International · World Cup · Belgium · Senegal · Habib Diarra · Ismaila Sarr · Moussa Niakhate
| Metric | Belgium | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Shots | 21 | 19 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 5 |
| Shots off target | 10 | 11 |
| Corners | 4 | 2 |
| Fouls | 22 | 11 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 2 | 2 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 3 | 2 |
Senegal landed the first punch when Diarra finished at 23'56'' for 0-1, and Belgium went into the break chasing it. Belgium turned to Lukaku at half-time, replacing Charles De Ketelaere at 45'00'', but Senegal struck again early in the second half as Sarr doubled the lead at 50'37''.
Belgium responded with a flurry of changes - Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin arrived on 55 minutes, and Brandon Mechele picked up a yellow at 63'06''. Senegal also rotated, with Lamine Camara coming on at 65'49'' and immediately seeing yellow at 66'48''.
The momentum swung late. Thomas Meunier came on at 77'38'' and delivered the assist for Lukaku's 85'36'' finish, before Tielemans levelled at 88'10'' from Leandro Trossard's pass to force extra time.
In the closing moments, a VAR decision awarded Belgium a penalty at 120'00'' following a Camara incident, and Tielemans converted to seal it. Belgium edged the match stats on possession (53-47) and shots (21-18), and the late surge proved decisive.