Lukaku and Tielemans Flip the Script in Three Minutes as Belgium Stays Alive

Belgium was staring at elimination. Senegal had them pinned. But Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans decided that wasn’t happening Tuesday.

Down 2-0 in the 80th minute, the Red Devils scored twice in a span of three minutes to force their Round of 32 match into extra time. It’s the kind of turnaround that makes you wonder why they waited so long to look dangerous.

The switch finally flipped

Senegal came out sharp. Ismaila Sarr put them ahead in the 51st minute, his third goal in three straight World Cup games. That looked like the dagger. Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku had already been subbed off before the hour mark, and the body language from Belgium suggested they were packing their bags.

But Lukaku hadn’t started the match. He was always going to factor in, though. At 33 years old, he came off the bench and made it look easy in the 86th minute, cutting the deficit to one. Then Tielemans rose for a header in the 89th and the whole thing was level.

Belgium’s bench erupted. Senegal’s sideline went quiet. The game that seemed dead was alive again.

How Senegal let it slip

Senegal had controlled the tempo for long stretches. They were physical, organized, and efficient. Sarr was a constant problem for the Belgian back line. It felt like a coronation for the African champions, who had rolled through the group stage.

But they couldn’t close it out. And in a knockout game, that’s all it takes. One mistake, one moment of Lukaku power, one header off a set piece. Senegal will spend the break wondering how they let two goals slip in less than 180 seconds.

Belgium, meanwhile, gets to keep dreaming. Even if they looked dead twice already in this tournament.