Pain for Africa as Hopefuls Senegal Follow DR Congo Out of World Cup After Last-Minute Heartbreak

Youri Tielemans converted a dramatic extra-time penalty to give Belgium a stunning comeback victory over Senegal in the World Cup round of 16.

The decisive goal, scored in the 124th minute, marked the latest goal in the tournament's history and capped a remarkable turnaround for the Belgians.

Senegal appeared to be cruising into the next round after establishing a comfortable two-goal lead.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the 24th minute, and Ismaila Sarr doubled their advantage shortly after halftime in the 51st minute. However, Belgium mounted a late surge, with Romelu Lukaku pulling one back in the 86th minute before Tielemans equalized just three minutes later to send the match into extra time.

With a penalty shootout looming, a VAR review confirmed a foul by Lamine Camara on Tielemans inside the box. The Belgian midfielder stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick, securing his team's place in the quarter-finals.

Following the match, pundits weighed in on the controversial ending. Speaking on ITV Sport, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was critical of the penalty decision.

"You want conviction in the referee’s decision, and he was hesitating for a long time," Keane stated, describing the call as "a bit harsh" on Senegal. He added that while Belgium showed great resilience, Senegal ultimately "found a way to lose the game."

Fellow analyst Gary Neville echoed the sentiment, highlighting the brutal nature of the tournament. "This is a place for dreams and then it is a place for dreams to be shattered," he remarked. "They gave up a two-goal lead with five minutes to go. Credit to Belgium, I do not know how they got out of it."