World Cup: Belgium gets iffy PK late to beat Senegal. Vs. U.S. in Seattle next?
If the United States can win again, they know who they will play next in the World Cup — right back here in rockin’ Seattle.
Proud, undeniable — and lucky — Belgium.
The “Red Devils” looked hellish, older and slower while falling behind 2-0 in the first 55 minutes to the speedy Senegalese. But the Belgians, the world’s 10th-ranked side, revived with goals by star second-half substitute Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute and Youri Tielemans in the 89th.
Then they got a fortunate video-assisted-review of a cross and contact by a Senegal defender in the penalty area in the 117th minute. Tielemans’ resulting penalty-kick goal sent Belgium over the Senegal 3-2 in the round of 32 at sold-out again Lumen Field Wednesday.
A Belgian cross resulted in Senegal defender challenging the pass yet missing the ball while stepping on the back of a Belgium attacker’s foot in the box. Referee Said Martinez took multiple minutes using VAR before he ruled a penalty kick. Tielemans drilled his PK into the upper right corner of the goal. Senegal goal keeper Mory Diaw guessed and dived to his right, opposite the Belgian captain’s winning shot.
Senegal had their chance before the penalty. In the 109th minute,. Ibrahim Mbaye took a cut-back pass into the box and was square to net about 10 yards out. He turned his right foot outside too far and one-timed the cross wide of the left goal post.
The Belgians’ escape means they will return to Lumen Field, which global soccer authority FIFA wants called “Seattle Stadium,” Monday in the round of 16 to face the winner of the U.S.-Bosnia and Herzegovina match playing later Wednesday. That last of six World Cup matches in Seattle will be for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Monday is shaping up to be the biggest sporting event ever in the Pacific Northwest, for global attention and importance.
Wednesday, speedy Senegal controlled the match from the start. The Lions were faster, more decisive and more technical with the ball in the attacking third for the first 80 minutes. Seven of the game’s first 12 shots were from Senegal, with five of those seven at close range to goal.
Former Liverpool of the English Premier League star Sadio Mane’s deft cross in the 24th minute created a chance for Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr about 10 yards in front of goal. Sarr’s flying, off-balance header beat Belgium keeper Thibault Courtois but squared the left goal post. Unmarked Habib Diarra cleaned up the rebound and struck the ball well left and past the scrambling Courtois into the back of the net.
The Senegal fans, mostly massed behind the opposite, south goal, roared and sang over their side 1-0 lead early.
Mory Diaw Senegal’s fill-in
Senegal, 18th in the FIFA world rankings, kept a clean sheet for 85 minutes against Belgium despite an injury to former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
The backup keeper kept them ahead for almost all the round-of-32 match. Until the end.
Diaw denied Belgium’s only two threats to tie the match by making acrobatic saves in succession in the 44th and 45th minute late in the opening half. On the first save, denying Jeremy Doku from close range, Diaw leaped like a basketball forward snaring a rebound. That kept Doku’s shot that was heading toward the roof of the net.
For his second brilliant save, Diaw dove to his left reacting to a strike from Maxim De Cuyper from the top of the penalty area. The no.-2 keeper then punched away with his right arm a ball that was destined for inside the far post.
That — and three pitch invaders who simultaneously ran out of the packed stands onto the field before security eventually tackled them and took them away — were the only open threats to Senegal’s end over the first 75 minutes.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez began the second half by substituting star striker Lukaku into the match. The 33-year-old all-time Belgium scoring leader also did not start his team’s first World Cup match, June 16 in Seattle. He scored off the bench late that day to salvage a 1-1 draw with Egypt.
That was one of two draws, the other with heavy underdog Iran in Los Angeles late last month, in the “Red Devils’” underwhelming group stage.
Their under-performing continued for the first 80-plus minutes Wednesday in the knockout round, in another “home” game a half hour from where they trained all World Cup at the Sounders’ facility in Renton.
In the 51st minute, Belgium’s two central defenders were slow to react to an arcing, perfectly placed long ball over the top onto the chest of Sarr. Sarr expertly chested the ball onto his right foot and drilled his shot from about 15 yards past Courtois.
It was 2-0 Senegal.
Not even 5 minutes later, Martinez took stars Kevin De Bruyne and Doku off the pitch onto the bench for the final 35 minutes.
And Belgium’s so-called golden generation with 30-somethings Lukaku, De Bruyne and Courtois appeared over.
It will be interesting to see how Martinez uses De Bruyne against the U.S.-Bosnia and Herzegovina winner Monday.
Belgium comeback
As he did in the Belgians’ first World Cup match in Seattle, Lukaku brought them back.
The bullish striker kept a Senegal defender on his back in the middle of the penalty area then took a cross and flicked it with his right foot past Diaw into the back of the net short side in the 86th minute. It was a startling goal, given the run of play all day to that point.
Even more surprising: What happened not even two minutes of play later, following the Belgians’ quick celebration and kickoff. Tielemans beat Diaw and two defenders out of the air to the ball as Senegal’s keeper was trying to punch out a Belgium cross. The Belgian captain’s header went over Diaw’s gloved hands into the net.
That evened the match that was uneven for so long.
The 16th-ranked Americans may have a say how long it lasts on what would be an epic Monday in Seattle.
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 3:56 PM.
