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Youri Tielemans' Historic Goal Sends Belgium to FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16

Thursday, July 2, 2026
5 min read
Youri Tielemans' Historic Goal Sends Belgium to FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16

Youri Tielemans, captain of Belgium, just made history. He converted a penalty in stoppage time during extra time to push his team into the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. It happened in the fifth minute of that extra time.

That strike itself it came in the 124th minute and 44th second of the match against Senegal. And honestly, it just entered the books. It’s the most goals ever scored in a FIFA World Cup game. That’s what Tielemans did.

It felt like everything shifted there. Belgium had been struggling. They were down two-nil when they finally found the gear, scrambling through those final minutes to force extra time before that dramatic moment.

The whole thing was a massive comeback story at Lumen Field in Seattle. It was incredible how they clawed back, forcing those extra periods. And then Tielemans, scoring again, sealing it all off with that late penalty. Senegal got knocked out of the World Cup by Belgium. The fallout for them must be huge.

Senegal looked like they were heading toward a tough outcome. They had taken a 2-0 lead early on, thanks to Diarra and Sarr. They were set up for a first win in a knockout match since their debut back in 2002. A really narrow path.

But the game kept going. Belgium pushed through. Lukaku and Tielemans scored those late goals in the final five minutes before that penalty arrived at the 125th minute. It was a turnaround moment, forcing everyone to watch.

Meanwhile, Senegal’s own record is something else entirely. They ended up with ten goals in a World Cup edition overall. Before this shocking loss to Belgium, they had managed those scores against France and Norway earlier on. Then there was the thumping win over Iraq five-nil later that week. It just keeps piling up these results.

It’s going to be a bitter pill for Senegal to swallow, facing whatever comes next now. They were in a tough spot heading into this final stage. The memory of those goals from Belgium will stick around.</p

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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