…how three goals in final moments turn 5 minutes of hope into heartbreak for Teranga Lions
By our Sports Correspondent
DOHA— Senegal were five minutes from history, and then the World Cup ripped it away.
In one of the most brutal collapses of the tournament so far, Belgium scored three times in the final 35 minutes of regulation and extra time to beat Senegal 3-2 on Wednesday night, booking a place in the Round of 16 and leaving the Teranga Lions to contemplate what might have been.
For 85 minutes at Al Bayt Stadium, Senegal looked set to produce the defining upset of the group stage. Organized, fearless and playing with the swagger of an African champion, they absorbed Belgium’s pressure and threatened on the counter. With the scoreboard still blank late on, qualification was in their hands.
That certainty evaporated in three devastating minutes.
Romelu Lukaku, introduced off the bench to rescue a spluttering Belgium side, struck first in the 86th minute. A low cross found the Inter Milan forward at the back post, and his first-time finish gave Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy no chance. The stadium, quiet until then, erupted.
Belgium did not stop. Three minutes later, Youri Tielemans completed the turnaround in the 89th. A floated ball into the box caused chaos as Mendy came for it but misjudged the flight entirely. Tielemans reacted quickest, heading into an unguarded net to make it 2-0 and send Belgian supporters into disbelief.
In the space of 180 seconds, Senegal went from controlling their destiny to staring at extra time. The psychological damage was visible. Heads dropped, legs looked heavy, and the cohesion that had frustrated Belgium for so long was gone.
The final blow came deep into added time. With the match heading for penalties at 2-2, Belgium were awarded a spot kick in the 120th minute after a VAR review for handball. Lukaku stepped up again and converted with composure, completing a 3-2 scoreline and one of the most dramatic comebacks the World Cup has seen.
For Senegal, the pain will linger. They were not just minutes away from victory, they were minutes away from knocking out a European heavyweight and reaching the knockout stage in style. Instead, they leave with a lesson in how quickly momentum can turn at this level.
Captain Kalidou Koulibaly could only shake his head at full time as his teammates sank to the turf. Coach Aliou Cissé, who has built this side into one of Africa’s most respected, will struggle to explain how a game so firmly under control slipped away so completely.
“We were there,” one Senegal player said in the mixed zone, his voice trailing off. “Five minutes. That is all.”
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez called it “a victory of belief.” His team were outplayed for long periods and lacked rhythm for most of the night. Yet the introduction of Lukaku changed the dynamic, and Belgium’s experience showed when it mattered most.
The result keeps Belgium’s campaign alive and sends them through with renewed confidence. For Senegal, it is without question the most heartbreaking moment of the World Cup so far. They came within touching distance of a famous night, only to watch it disappear in the cruelest fashion imaginable.
