Belgium Stages Dramatic Comeback from 2-0 Deficit to Reach Round of 16

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Belgium, ranked 9th in the FIFA world rankings, staged a dramatic comeback while on the brink of elimination, trailing by two goals late in the match. They defeated Senegal to advance to the Round of 16, thanks to a "stoppage-time winner" scored in the 124th minute—the latest goal in World Cup history.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.

[Reporter]

Until the final moments of the match, victory seemed destined for Senegal.

In the 24th minute of the first half, after Sadio Mane's cross led to an Ismaila Sarr header that hit the post, Boulaye Dia tapped the ball in with his right foot to score in his second consecutive match.

In the 6th minute of the second half, Sarr expertly controlled a long pass from a defender with his chest before firing a volley for his fourth goal of the tournament, extending the lead to 2-0.

Belgium, struggling to create opportunities, appeared to be falling apart as captain Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard were seen arguing in the 70th minute.

However, in the 86th minute, Belgium's unbelievable comeback began.

Romelu Lukaku scored a goal with a one-touch shot in front of the net, and three minutes later, Tielemans headed in a cross from Trossard to dramatically level the score.

After combining for the equalizer, Tielemans and Trossard embraced and cheered as if they had never argued.

Having forced the match into extra time with two goals in three minutes, Belgium decided the outcome well into the final moments of extra time.

Tielemans converted a penalty kick he earned himself, scoring the latest goal in World Cup history to complete a 3-2 comeback victory.

Belgium, which also overturned a two-goal deficit in the Round of 16 against Japan at the 2018 Russia World Cup, once again demonstrated their resilience in what was the best match of the tournament so far.

[Rudi Garcia / Belgium National Football Team Head Coach: It reminded us once again that it is not over until it is over. Belgium showed that today.]

Belgium, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time in eight years, will face the host nation, the United States, on July 7.

Video by Park Gi-deok
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.