SEATTLE — Belgium defeated Senegal 3-2 in a World Cup Round of 32 match on July 1, 2026, after trailing by two goals with four minutes remaining in regulation time. Youri Tielemans secured the victory with a penalty kick in the 125th minute of extra time.

Senegal had established a 2-0 lead with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. Romelu Lukaku scored Belgium's first goal in the 86th minute, with an assist from Thomas Meunier, narrowing Senegal's lead to 2-1. Tielemans then scored the equalizing goal in the 89th minute, assisted by Leandro Trossard, sending the match into extra time.

The winning penalty was awarded to Belgium after a video assistant referee (VAR) review indicated a challenge by Lamine Camara on Tielemans. Belgium manager Rudi Garcia commented on the team's resilience, stating, "In football, anything is always possible as long as you believe in it." Garcia also added, "The strength of this squad also lies in the players who come off the bench, because you can't get results with just 11 players."

Senegal manager Pape Thiaw acknowledged the defeat, saying, "We're out - it hurts. We must congratulate the team, who gave it their all, but unfortunately we weren't able to hold on to our two-goal lead. We have to accept this. That's football." Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra also expressed disappointment after the match. "We're disappointed. We had a good first half, but it wasn't enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we're devastated. It's very tough. I don't know what to say. When you're on the pitch, you have to give your all, and that's not what we did. We've only got ourselves to blame," Diarra stated. Senegal defender Krépin Diatta said, "We were at the heart of writing the beautiful pages of the history of our football in this world. And, we have to accept that we failed at our mission." Diatta also said, "They (did) the job and they proved they can come back. I think the problem was our side. We had to win this game. These kinds of tight games in the box, we have to give everything and not give them a chance."

Senegal had advanced to the knockout phase as one of the best third-place finishers, having previously beaten Iraq but lost to France and Norway. Belgium will now proceed to play the United States in the World Cup Round of 16.