Belgium Eliminates Senegal With Latest-Ever World Cup Goal
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- Belgium overturned a 2-0 deficit in the final four minutes of regulation, with Romelu Lukaku heading in from Thomas Meunier's cross in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans rising to head in Leandro Trossard's centre three minutes later to force extra time.
- Tielemans converted a disputed penalty in the 125th minute — timed at 124 minutes and 44 seconds — the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match, sealing Belgium's 3-2 win.
- Belgium set a World Cup record as the latest team to avoid defeat after trailing by two or more goals in regulation time, completing the greatest such escape in tournament history.
- The penalty was awarded after a VAR review of Lamine Camara's challenge on Tielemans, prompting ITV pundits Gary Neville and Roy Keane to call it harsh and criticize the lengthy review process.
- Senegal manager Pape Thiaw, who led his team off the pitch during January's Afcon final against Morocco after a disputed stoppage-time VAR penalty — a match Senegal won 1-0 but were later stripped of the title for — said "We're out — it hurts" after this defeat.
- Belgium's golden generation — Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Meunier, Lukaku, and 37-year-old Axel Witsel — are the only five survivors from the 2018 third-place squad, with Lukaku's bench introduction credited by Dion Dublin as the moment that "changed the momentum."
- Belgium advances to a last-16 meeting with either co-hosts United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Tielemans and Trossard were seen arguing during a hydration break with Lukaku stepping in as peacemaker.
Why it matters: Belgium's comeback — featuring five survivors of their 2018 bronze-medal squad, including a 33-year-old Lukaku who played just 69 minutes of club football last season — keeps the aging golden generation alive at this World Cup ahead of a last-16 tie against the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina. For Senegal and Thiaw, a second consecutive tournament exit triggered by a controversial late VAR penalty compounds the pain of being stripped of January's Afcon title on a similar incident.
