Belgium produced a stunning comeback from 2-0 down late in the game to force extra time, before Senegal hearts were broken when Youri Tielemans dispatched a 120th minute penalty to eliminate the AFCON finalists.

It was a cagey opening five minutes for both sides, with neither side creating any decent chances or even taking a shot to test the keepers, with Senegal dealing quite easily with a dangerous early Leandro Trossard cross.

Senegal grew into the game, with Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye playing in an excellent cross, which was just about dealt with by the two Belgian defenders.

Just two minutes later, the Lions of Teranga almost got the opener of the game, once again coming from a brilliant cross. This time, it was Ismail Jakobs who played a superb ball into the box, with Thibaut Courtois flapping at the cross. Crystal Palace’s Ismaïla Sarr almost bundled the ball home, but his effort was only good enough to hit the post, sparing the experienced goalkeeper’s blushes.

The AFCON finalists remained on top going into the first hydration break, and they finally made that dominance count in the 24th minute, when Habib Diarra was quickest to react to another Sarr effort that had hit the post, as the Sunderland midfielder tucked home the rebound.

Belgium certainly ramped up the pressure towards the end of the half, as Maxim De Cuyper saw a good effort saved well by Diaw to tip behind for a corner.

Despite Belgium ending the half as the better side, it was Senegal who emerged on top, having the upper hand in possession, and just 30 seconds after the restart, Ndiaye dragged a shot wide from a decent chance in what was almost a dream start to the second half.

In the 51st minute, Sarr got the goal that he deserved, bringing down a long ball excellently, before smashing a volley past Courtois, who had no chance, to double Senegal’s lead thanks to some shocking Belgium defending.

In the 56th minute, Garcia decided to shake up things with his side 2-0 down, as both Doku and De Bruyne were surprisingly replaced, despite Doku looking the most dangerous in the attack, and De Bruyne having moments of quality, especially with balls into the box to pick out Romelu Lukaku, who came on at halftime.

The change in personnel also shifted Belgium's tactical setup, which had some success, as Senegal dropped slightly deeper, inviting pressure. Youri Tielemans saw an effort from a tight angle deflect out for a corner, as Belgium started to ask some more questions of the Senegalese defence.

In the 78th minute, substitute Dodi Lukébakio cut in off the right before curling a left-footed shot which went agonisingly wide, as he looked to give his nation a slim chance of getting back into the game.

After a couple of decent chances, Senegal were absolutely stunned with a quickfire Belgium double as Rudi Garcia’s side came back from absolutely nowhere to bring the scores level just before the end of normal time.

The first came through Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute, when Lukaku got ahead of his marker to turn home from a Tielemans pass, and the comeback was completed just three minutes later.

Tielemans turned from provider to scorer, getting on the end of a fantastic Trossard cross to nod home, after Senegal looked like they were cruising through to the Round of 16. 

Towards the end of the game, it was clear neither side wanted to take a major risk and were more than happy to wait until extra time. The stats at the end of the game showed quite an even game, but it can’t be understated how comfortable Senegal was for the majority of the game. 

The first half of extra time was largely uneventful, but Belgium was pressing more for the winning goal. They kept looking for Lukaku, and he almost got on the end of a ball, but couldn’t make any contact, as they looked to win the game in extra time, rather than risk penalties.

Senegal started the second half of extra time with more impetus, as the best chance of extra time fell to Ibrahim Mbaye, with the PSG youngster steering his shot wide of the post.

Just three minutes from time, Belgium should have completed their comeback, with the ball falling to Lukebakio in the penalty area, who had time, but his effort cannoned off the bar.

Before the ball reached him, however, Tielemans was brought down in the box as he challenged for the cross. The referee was sent to the monitor, and after a very lengthy look at the challenge, awarded a dramatic penalty.

Tielemans dispatched his penalty excellently, showing great composure as he slotted his spotkick into the top corner to break Senegalese hearts.

There were still seven minutes to play after the lengthy VAR review and Senegalese protests, as the Lions of Teranga pushed for an equaliser, but it was in vain.

A Pape Matar Sarr free-kick from a dangerous position, which was blazed over, proved to be the last kick of the game, in one of the most dramatic World Cup matches you will ever see.

Senegal looked like they were cruising to a comfortable 2-0 win over Belgium with 15 minutes to go, having been the better side for the majority of the game.

However, a three-minute double from Belgium from seemingly out of nowhere meant that the AFCON finalists were forced into extra-time, and looked destined for the cruel lottery of penalties.

In the 119th minute of the game, however, they didn't even get that chance, when Belgium were awarded a penalty for a challenge on Tielemans, which was duly buried by the midfielder, burying his spot kick into the top corner in the 125th minute after much protest from Senegal.

This dramatic exit will compound recent devastation in Senegal, following the AFCON final in January. Their 1-0 win in the final was overturned to a 3-0 Morocco victory after it was deemed that Senegal had forfeited the match by leaving the field in protest following a controversial penalty awarded to Morocco. In another cruel twist of fate, that spot kick was eventually missed by Brahim Diaz

Senegal completely dominated proceedings for most of the game, so it is even more surprising that Belgium managed to mount a seemingly impossible comeback to force extra time after scoring twice in three minutes just before the end of normal time.

Rudi Garcia’s side looked devoid of any attacking threat in the first half, and Senegal looked dangerous on the break, as Belgium’s defence struggled to keep the Lions of Teranga out.

However, in the 56th minute, Garcia made a bold roll of the dice, taking off both De Bruyne and Doku and changing the tactical setup of the side, and they almost immediately started to ask more questions of Senegal, pushing their defensive line deeper.

Despite evidently looking unfit, Lukaku was also a big game-changer, shifting their attacking approach by becoming a target man and a nuisance in the penalty area, making him as effective as possible despite his distinct lack of mobility.

The last time a team progressed in the knockout stage by overturning a two-goal deficit was, in fact, Belgium vs Japan in 2018, and they did it again eight years later.

You rarely see teams pushing hard for a winner in extra time; they usually look to take their chances in a penalty shootout. Instead, the Red Devils actively looked for a goal to secure their qualification rather than risk penalties.

That paid off in the last minute when they were awarded the spot kick, and with that win, they will now face the winner of the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 16.