Last-minute penalty: Belgium into the last 16

In a breathtaking match in the World Cup Round of 32, Belgium beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time to book their place in the last 16. Coming through with a huge comeback in a match in which they had fallen 2-0 behind, Belgium earned the right to continue in the tournament at the very last moment.

Senegal were the side who started on top. Habib Diarra put his team 1-0 ahead in the 25th minute. Extending the lead at the start of 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 normal time. Meeting the ball from an assist by Thomas Meunier in the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku cut the deficit to one; then, in the 89th minute, from a chance set up by Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans made it 2-2 to take the match to extra time. In the extra period, both teams pressed to gain the upper hand, and the contest was gripping right to the very end.

The moment that decided the fate of the match came in the closing minutes of extra time. In the 120+5th minute, Youri Tielemans converted the penalty won to make it 3-2 and score his second goal. With this goal, Belgium came back from the brink of elimination and advanced to the last 16. Senegal, who were ahead in expected goals and chance creation throughout normal time, could not protect their advantage and bowed out of the tournament with a dramatic defeat. Belgium's opponent in the last 16 will be one of the eagerly awaited storylines of the tournament.

Image: Al Jazeera

Match by the numbers: Possession 52%-48% (in Belgium's favor), expected goals (xG) 1.80-3.53 (in Senegal's favor), total shots 19-19, big chances 3-3, touches in the opposition box 38-29.