Belgium 3-2 Senegal: Five key takeaways from FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash

Senegal conceded the latest goal in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Belgium have defeated Senegal 3-2 to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The game started with both sides trying to create goal-scoring opportunities. Senegal broke the deadlock in the 24th minute as Habib Diarra scored an important goal for the African side. In the second half, Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead for the Lions of Teranga by scoring in the 51st minute.

Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku were also substituted early in the second half, as it seemed the Red Devils were shifting towards a defensive approach to avoid conceding more goals. However, Belgium made a stellar return in the game, courtesy of two goals from Romelu Lukaku (86′) and Youri Tielemans (89′).

In the extra time, both sides came close to scoring, but nothing was working for them. However, in the final moments of extra time, the Red Devils were awarded a penalty, which Tielemans netted perfectly.

On that note, let’s take a look at the five key takeaways from the FIFA World Cup 2026 clash:

5. Leandro Trossard was Belgium’s top star

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard was the Red Devils’ top-performing player in the game against Senegal. The 31-year-old created three chances, the joint most by any player in the game. He also made the most successful dribbles (three). Trossard played with a passing accuracy of 79 per cent while having six passes in the final third.

4. The team equation

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans was visibly agitated with his teammates. The Aston Villa midfielder was seen arguing with Leandro Trossard during the second hydration break of the game. The players were also unhappy about the refereeing decisions.

Jeremy Doku was also not very happy when head coach Rudi Garcia substituted him in the second half. The team started playing physical football and committing fouls. However, the Red Devils equalised the scoreline; Tielemans and Trossard were seen hugging. The Arsenal attacker also assisted the Belgian captain for the equaliser.

Also Read: List of all matches confirmed for Round of 16 of FIFA World Cup 2026

3. Belgium has a central forward problem

The Belgian side lacks a reliable attacker capable of taking charge of scoring. Romelu Lukaku has been the side’s all-time record goalscorer with 92 goals; however, with age, the 33-year-old has started to lose his grip on the attacking prowess he once had.

One reason for that has been his fitness. Rudi Garcia also revealed that the 33-year-old cannot play 90 minutes straight. Meanwhile, his replacement, Charles De Ketelaere, has not been effective. Against Senegal in the first half, he had only 16 touches and was dispossessed three times. De Ketelaere had zero shots while creating no chances.

2. The latest goal in World Cup history and Senegal’s luck

Senegal is unarguably one of the unluckiest teams in football right now. Earlier this year, they won the AFCON after a lot of drama against Morocco. And later, the accolade was handed over to Morocco as a punishment for the Lions of Teranga.

And now, they lost their round of 32 clash against the Red Devils after conceding the latest goal in the tournament’s history. Belgium skipper Youri Tielemans’ goal at the 124-minute and 43-second mark, scored from the penalty spot, has now become the latest goal in the history of the tournament.

1. Belgium’s unbeaten run continues

Belgium’s last defeat came in March 2025, when they lost to Ukraine. Interestingly, that was Rudi Garcia’s first game in charge as Belgium’s head coach. Since then, they have been on a 16-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, including friendlies. Out of the 16 games, they won ten, including the freak 7-0 victory over Liechtenstein. Now they are riding a 17-game wave.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.