Miracle at 124:44: Belgium script record 3-2 comeback to sink Senegal in World Cup R32

3 min readJul 2, 2026 06:29 AM IST

Youri Tielemans scored the winning penalty in the 125th minute to power Belgium past Senegal in the World Cup. (AP Photo)

There were only seconds left on the clock before the final whistle would have blown to signal the shoot-outs. Senegal had slipped late in regulation time, squandering a two-goal lead over Belgium. But all hope wasn’t lost until Lamine Camara erred by bringing down Youri Tielemans in the box.

The Belgian captain was pivotal in taking the game to the additional 30 minutes after scoring an 89th-minute equaliser, three minutes after Romelu Lukaku struck the first.  This time, he smeared the ball to the top right, leaving Senegal with no air to even sniff of a comeback, marking a sensational Belgian turnaround to make the Round of 16 in Seattle on Wednesday.

Tielemans’ winning penalty will be one for the record books — the 124:44-minute strike is the latest goal ever struck in World Cup history.

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Habib Diarra and ​Ismaila Sarr had given Senegal a deserved 2-0 lead, and they looked to be cruising through to the next round ​before Belgium netted twice in the final four minutes through Lukaku and a Tielemans header to ⁠force extra time. Belgium now face the winner of Wednesday’s last 32 clash between co-hosts United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the ​next round in Seattle on Monday.

Lukaku looked set to take the penalty but at the last minute handed the ball to captain Tielemans. “We ​talked for a while. Romelu said, ‘take it’. And I was ready to take it,” Tielemans told Sporza.

“I am very proud to be captain of this team. We are all winners and try to do our best. Whether we will analyse this match tomorrow? I hope the day after tomorrow, first a day ​off!”

The midfielder believed it was the players off the bench who made the difference.

“We fell behind and then it’s up to us to ​try to show a reaction. We did,” he said. “It was the bench players who made the difference again, especially for that first goal. Everyone gives ‌everything and ⁠sometimes it works better than other times.”

Belgium brought on ⁠Lukaku for the ineffective Charles De Ketelaere at halftime, before the wheels picked up again for a comeback.

– With Reuters inputs