Absolute cinema: Belgium defeated Senegal 3-2 with an epic comeback and advanced to the round of 16

It is matches like these that make the World Cup the biggest tournament there is. Until the 84th minute, Belgium was on the verge of being eliminated in the Round of 32 not only because of the score at that moment (2-0), but also because they did not seem close to equalizing against Senegal. However, in a final burst, they would equalize and send the match to extra time. Again, when it seemed that nothing would change and the match was heading to penalties, the Europeans would show that one should never give up and, through a penalty in the 120+5 minute, would turn the score around and achieve an epic qualification to the Round of 16.

The beginning of the match would be quite even, with possession shared and isolated chances for both sides. Although the Belgians would warn in the 8th minute with a long-range shot from Leandro Trossard that would be saved by Mory Diaw, the first truly dangerous situation would occur minutes later for the Senegalese. In the 12th minute, after a great collective play, Ismail Jakobs would cross into the area and, due to a poor clearance from Thibaut Courtois, the ball would fall to Ismaïla Sarr, who could not finish well with the goal at his mercy and sent the ball to the outside of the right post.

Despite the lament of being so close to 1-0, the Africans would not give up and, just before the first cooling break, they would open the scoring. In the 24th minute, again after a good sequence of passes, Sarr would head the ball to the same post as before, however, unlike the previous play, this time it would remain alive in the small area, and would be pushed by Habib Diarra into the back of the net to put his team ahead.

With the score against them, "Les Diables Rouges" would not dominate, but they would still try to reduce the deficit before halftime. Among the most notable chances to achieve this goal would be a shot from Jérémy Doku deflected by Jakobs that almost complicated Diaw, who, shortly after, would clear a powerful long-range shot from Maxim de Cuyper with a changed hand.

In the second half, "The Lions of Teranga" would come out more determined to extend their lead than their rivals to cut it, and they would succeed in the 51st minute: Moussa Niakhaté would send a delightful assist into space for Sarr, who would finally beat Courtois and score his goal for 2-0.

After the goal, the match would enter a tense calm marked more by a frayed game and fouls than by goal opportunities. This trend would continue until after the second hydration break, when Belgium would again have dangerous chances, including a left-footed shot from substitute Dodi Lukebakio in the 77th that would pass close to Diaw's left post.

Despite suffering some approaches from their opponent, towards the end of the match, the Belgians would not only get a goal back, but also equalize the score, thanks to goals from substitute Romelu Lukaku in the 85th and Youri Tielemans in the 89th to send the match to extra time.

After a completely uneventful first extra time, largely due to player fatigue, in the second additional period Senegal would come close to scoring 3-2 with a shot from substitute Ibrahim Mbaye in the 108th, which would go just wide of Courtois' left post.

On their part, with five minutes remaining, the Europeans would also almost score with a shot from Lukebakio hitting the crossbar, however, the bitterness would turn to joy as the referee, after an extensive VAR review, would award a penalty for a foul in the same play by Lamine Camara on Tielemans. The one in charge of executing from the 12 steps would be the Belgian No. 8 himself and he would not disappoint to complete the epic comeback of his team.

With this victory, Belgium advanced to the Round of 16, where they will face the winner of the match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina next Monday, July 6 at 21:00 (Argentina time) at the same stadium where they played today, the Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle.