SEATTLE – An hour into the Round of 32 meeting between Belgium and Senegal it seemed like there was only one possible outcome as Senegal had dominated the game up to that point and raced out of halftime to claim a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute. A late flourish from Belgium courtesy in large part to Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans, both of whom scored goals in the final 5 minutes of regulation, forced the game to extra time where Tielemans once again popped up to win and put away a penalty in stoppage time to claim a 3-2 win and send Belgium through to the Round of 16 where they’ll face the winner of the match between the USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina for their third game in Seattle.
The first half was about as close to one-way traffic as you’re likely to find in a game between ostensibly evenly-matched teams. Belgium had the first shot of the game via a speculative attempt from the edge of the box by Leandro Trossard, but over the following 16 minutes Senegal outshot their opponents 5:1 with 4 of them coming from inside the area and capped off with Habib Diarra’s goal. The 22 year-old Sunderland player pounced on a rebound after Sadio Mane found Ismaïla Sarr with a wonderful cross, but Sarr’s header struck the post rather than the back of the net. While the Belgian defense acted like a goal had already been scored, Diarra was the quickest by far to react and knock the ball home to give his side the 1-0 lead.
The opening goal was emblematic of how the game had been playing out: Senegal seemed a step or three quicker to every play and arrived with exquisite technique once they got there. With the ball their play was a delight to watch as they moved the ball around the pitch, forcing Belgium into their own half and then doing seemingly once they wanted while they were there. When Belgium managed to get the ball, Senegal always seemed to know where it was going before any Belgian players did. They were reading the game expertly and showing what they were capable of with a mix of organization, structure and lovely individual talent.
That mixture played out in the 51st minute with Sarr’s goal. Senegal calmly played the ball around just inside their half, avoiding a somewhat lackluster attempt at pressure from Belgium until centerback Moussa Niakhaté spotted the opportunity to play Sarr in behind. Sarr found him in an inexplicable pocket of space between three Belgian defenders and Niakhaté's ball over the top dropped perfectly for him, allowing Sarr to show some unreal skill as he took the ball out of the air with his chest, then fire it home while riding a physical challenge from Belgium’s Arthur Theate to make it 2-0. Things looked so bad for Belgium that as the two teams headed to their second half Pausa de Hidratacion, Tielemans and Trossard were seen having what could generously be described as a tense conversation as they walked to the sidelines.
Belgium were desperate as they chased the game, taking 11 shots in the second half to Senegal’s 6 but only generating 0.71 xG to Senegal’s 0.9 according to Fotmob. Unfortunately for Senegal xG doesn’t actually count on the scoreboard, and as the game approached its final minutes Belgium finally found their scoring touch. First in the 86th minute halftime substitute Lukaku breathed life into his side’s chances. Senegal seemed to lose their grip on the game, opening more space for Belgium to play and a sequence of possession resulted in a broken play with both sides scrambling in Senegal’s defensive end. Fellow sub Thomas Meunier ended up with the ball on the right side of the box and played it in to Lukaku who provided a fantastic finish to beat goalkeeper Mory Diaw at his near post. Then just a few minutes later it was the two players seen disagreeing half an hour earlier who combined for the equalizer. Trossard sent in a perfect cross and Tielemans was able to beat Diaw to the ball to head it home in the 89th minute.
With the game tied Senegal looked for a response in stoppage time, but nothing came of it and the two sides went into extra time. The first 15 minutes were cagey, but Senegal seemed to come back to life for the final 15. They managed 6 shots, but never really troubled the Laurent Courtois, and in stoppage time things truly fell apart. Substitute Lamine Camara and Tielemans were both going for a ball in the box and as Tielemans planted his left foot Camara was swinging his right and clipped Tielemans’ plant foot. No foul was initially called, but after review a penalty was awarded. Tielemans stepped up to the spot and sunk his penalty into the top right corner to secure his brace and Belgium’s place in the Round of 16.
It’s a devastating collapse for Senegal, and a remarkable story of resilience for Belgium. Despite a top-10 FIFA ranking and a squad that consists of some of the best players from world football in the last few years, Belgium have seldom looked like world beaters during the tournament.
Regardless, they’ve advanced to the next round where they’ll have a very real chance of repeating today’s feat against whichever of the US or Bosnia and Herzegovina they take on back here in Seattle.
Key performers
Youri Tielemans
Youri Tielemans, the man that you are. It wasn’t a perfect game, although considering the sorts of passes he plays going 54/65 (83%) is more than respectable. While he was part of a midfield that was often a bit too easy for Senegal to play through, he still won 3/8 ground duels and a whopping 5/6 aerial duels. He had 6 recoveries, tied for the most touches in the box with 7 along with 7 passes into the final third, and he also had two goals that tied and won the game, respectively. To still have been able to put himself in position to win the penalty after 120 minutes of action is itself impressive, but to put the penalty away like he did showed the kind of quality that will make Belgium feel like they’ll have a chance against whoever they face from here on out.
Habib Diarra
Habib Diarra hardly put a foot wrong on the right side of Senegal’s midfield three, and that’s before you consider his goal. Diarra won all of his duels, going 2/2 on the ground and 1/1 in the air, drew a foul, had 4 defensive contributions and 4 recoveries. He completed 29/31 passes with 6 passes into the final third, was credited with 1 chance created, and he had the opening goal. He was a major part of what was going right for Senegal during the game’s opening hour, and while the players who entered the game in the second half for Senegal have plenty of quality his absence was clear as they struggled to see the game out, which is a pretty wild thing to say about a 22 year-old in a side with as much experience as this one.
Romelu Lukaku
There are plenty of people who would have made the argument that the football had left Romelu Lukaku following the end of this European season. After a season with Napoli in which he played 7 games across all competitions and scored 1 goal he’s played more minutes (177) at the World Cup than he did in Serie A (40) and scored 2 goals, had 1 assist, and did everything but put the ball in the back of the net for Belgium’s lone goal against Egypt. Against Senegal his introduction may have changed the game more than any other individual decision. At 33 Lukaku’s holdup play is still among the best in the world when he’s on his game, in no small part because his mere presence has such a remarkable gravity. Senegal’s defense just have to react to him being on the field, and he still found space to get on the ball, get teammates involved, and then provide the first goal with a fantastic touch. He may not have enough in the tank to start every game, but there aren’t many better no. 9s coming off the bench in this tournament.
