The Red Devils have done it again. On July 1, 2026, at the Seattle Stadium, Belgium scripted another unbelievable chapter in World Cup history by overcoming a 0-2 deficit against Senegal to win 3-2 after extra time. The stunning Round of 32 win brought back memories of their iconic 2018 Round of 16 comeback against Japan in Rostov-on-Don.
Belgium are now the only country in modern World Cup history to recover from a two-goal deficit in a knockout match twice, cementing their reputation as football’s ultimate survival artists.
A relentless Senegal side dominated the wings through Sadio Mané and Ismaïla Sarr. Habib Diarra opened the scoring (25') after Sarr hit the post. Six minutes into the second half (51'), Sarr chested down a brilliant long ball from Moussa Niakhaté to double Senegal's lead.
Facing elimination, manager Rudi Garcia took a gamble by substituting underperforming stars Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku. Veteran striker Romelu Lukaku, introduced at halftime, completely altered the physical frontline dynamics. The 33-year-old struck in the 86th minute off a Thomas Meunier low cross. Just three minutes later (89'), skipper Youri Tielemans rose high to head home an equaliser off a cross from Leandro Trossard. Deep into extra-time stoppage time (120+5'), a VAR review confirmed a foul by Lamine Camara on Tielemans, who stepped up and hammered home the latest winning penalty in World Cup history.
In 2018, after a scoreless first half, Japan stunned Belgium with two quickfire goals from Genki Haraguchi (48') and Takashi Inui (52'). The then manager Roberto Martínez (who is currently the Portugal head coach) abandoned his tactical blueprint in the 65th minute, bringing on Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli to introduce sheer physicality and aerial presence.
The move bore result soon. Jan Vertonghen’s looping header (69') and Fellaini's powerful equaliser (74') set up the most iconic counterattack in World Cup history, finished by Chadli in the 95th minute to win the quarterfinal 3-2.
Interestingly, the heroes of the match against Senegal this year had a hand in the iconic win eight years ago. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept Belgium alive before launching the legendary 95th-minute counter-attack in 2018. Against Senegal, he made a string of vital saves while trailing 0-2 to prevent Senegal from sealing the match.
Lukaku’s brilliant dummy allowed Chadli to bury the winning goal in 2018, and this time, he came on as a substitute and scored the crucial 86th-minute lifeline goal to spark the revival.
Meunier provided the low cross that Chadli tapped in for the 95th-minute winner. Against Senegal, he came on in the 77th minute and, once again, provided the vital assist for Lukaku's goal.
Tielemans, however, was an unused substitute on the bench as a 21-year-old in 2018. He turned out to be the Player of the Match against Senegal.
The blueprint from Rostov in 2018 played itself out eight years later. When Lukaku scored the first goal, the team recognised the script. They had been there before, and they knew how to finish it.
