Incredible comeback from Belgium: match goes to extra time

The contest between Belgium and Senegal in the World Cup Round of 32 was breathtaking. In a match that ended 2-2 in normal time, Belgium, who had fallen 2-0 behind, levelled the score with late goals and took the tie to extra time. The match, played in front of more than 66,000 spectators at Lumen Field, went to the extra period to decide who would book their place in the last 16.

Senegal were the side who started on top. Habib Diarra put his team 1-0 ahead in the 25th minute. Extending the lead early in the second half, Senegal made it 2-0 in the 51st minute through İsmaila Sarr, from an assist by Moussa Niakhaté. This picture made the match considerably harder for favorites Belgium.

But Belgium produced a huge reaction in the closing stages of the match. Meeting the ball from an assist by Thomas Meunier in the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku cut the deficit to one. Belgium kept up the pressure and, from a chance set up by Leandro Trossard in the 89th minute, Youri Tielemans made it 2-2 to get back into the match. With these two late goals, Belgium came back from the brink of elimination and managed to take the tie to extra time.

Ahead in expected goals and chance creation throughout normal time, Senegal could not protect their two-goal advantage. Belgium, for their part, managed to turn their possession superiority across the game into the score late on. The performance both teams put on the pitch in the extra period, for the last-16 ticket, will decide the fate of the match. The result of this crucial tie will directly affect both nations' futures at the World Cup.

Image: Yahoo Sports

Numbers from 90 minutes: Possession 53%-47% (in Belgium's favor), expected goals (xG) 0.88-2.80 (in Senegal's favor), total shots 16-13, big chances 2-3, touches in the opposition box 33-21.