Seattle Stadium hosted another Round of 32 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a clash between Belgium and Senegal, where the European Red Devils eventually won 3–2.
The match was evenly balanced, but the Lions of Teranga looked more dangerous in attack. In the 13th minute, a mistake by Thibaut Courtois nearly gifted Ismaïla Sarr a goal, but his soft effort hit the post. In the 25th minute, a brilliant cross from Sadio Mané found Ismaïla Sarr, whose header struck the woodwork, and on the rebound Habib Diarra scored for Senegal. In the 45th minute, a shot from Maxime De Cuyper was Belgium’s best chance of the first half, but it was superbly saved by Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
Belgium’s hopes of an early comeback in the second half were quickly crushed. A long pass from Moussa Niakhaté was controlled by Ismaïla Sarr, who finished powerfully in the 51st minute to score Senegal’s second goal. In the 78th minute, a beautiful strike from Dodi Lukebakio—who had come on alongside Romelu Lukaku to help rescue the result—went narrowly wide. Belgium finally pulled one back in the 86th minute through Romelu Lukaku, giving them hope of a comeback, but they still needed an equaliser to avoid an early World Cup exit. Then in the 89th minute, a cross from Leandro Trossard was headed in by Youri Tielemans to level the match, completing an unbelievable turnaround for the Belgians. Interestingly, Tielemans and Trossard had been involved in a verbal disagreement just minutes earlier.
With two late goals, Belgium looked stronger going into extra time. In the first half of extra time, they dominated possession but failed to break Senegal’s defence. In the 117th minute, Dodi Lukebakio missed a huge chance when his shot hit the crossbar. The referee, after a VAR review, awarded a penalty for a foul on Youri Tielemans before that attempt. Tielemans converted the penalty in the 120+5th minute, scoring the latest goal of the tournament and sealing Belgium’s qualification.
Belgium will face the winner of the United States vs Bosnia match in the Round of 16 on 6th July.
