At Seattle Stadium, Senegal appeared on course for a famous victory after taking control of the match with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. With just four minutes of normal time remaining, Belgium were still trailing 2-0 and staring at elimination.

Diarra opened the scoring in the 25th minute, giving Senegal an early advantage. The African side strengthened its position shortly after the break when Sarr collected a long pass from Moussa Niakhaté and finished clinically in the 51st minute. The goal was Sarr’s fourth of the tournament and further underlined his importance to Senegal’s campaign.

Belgium struggled to create clear opportunities for much of the contest, but the introduction of Romelu Lukaku changed the momentum. The veteran striker pulled one back in the 86th minute, igniting hopes of an unlikely recovery.

Just three minutes later, captain Youri Tielemans completed the comeback by firing home the equaliser, sending the match into extra time and silencing Senegal’s celebrations.

As the game moved toward a penalty shootout, controversy unfolded in the closing moments of extra time. In the 125th minute, referee intervention following a video review resulted in a penalty being awarded to Belgium after an incident involving Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara and Tielemans inside the penalty area.

The decision sparked immediate protests from Senegal’s players, who argued that the contact was insufficient for a penalty. Defender Pathé Ciss and several teammates surrounded the referee in frustration, but the decision stood.

Tielemans stepped up under immense pressure and converted the spot-kick, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory and completing one of the greatest turnarounds of the tournament. The Belgian midfielder was later named Player of the Match for his decisive contribution.

Speaking after the match, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw expressed disappointment with the penalty decision, saying his side did not believe the incident warranted a spot-kick. However, the result confirmed Senegal’s exit from the competition.

Earlier in the day, the United States secured their place in the knockout stage with a disciplined 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.

Folarin Balogun was the standout performer during the opening half. After seeing an earlier effort ruled out for offside, the striker finally broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. He latched onto a precise through ball from Malik Tillman and calmly finished to hand the hosts a crucial lead before the break.

Balogun nearly doubled the advantage soon after, but his powerful strike crashed against the crossbar.

The match took another turn in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a red card following a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. Reduced to 10 men, the Americans were forced to defend deep while looking for opportunities on the counterattack.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the hosts remained composed. In the 82nd minute, Tillman effectively sealed victory with a superb free-kick that flew directly into the net. Christian Pulisic had earlier seen a goal disallowed for offside, but the setback did not affect the final outcome.

The results set up an intriguing Round of 16 clash between Belgium and the United States, with both teams carrying momentum into the knockout phase after memorable victories.