Gone in 160 seconds! Belgium force extra time as Senegal squander two-goal lead

Belgium scored twice in three minutes as Senegal squandered a two-goal advantage to take their FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash into extra time at the Seattle Stadium.

Senegal led 2-0 until the 85th minute before they lost focus and conceded two in little over 160 seconds. Captain Youri Tielemans glanced a header into a vacant net in the 89th minute as goalkeeper Mory Diaw misjudged the flight of the ball.

Three minutes ago, substitute Romelu Lukaku outmuscled his marker to finish from close range to give Belgium a lifeline. Until that goal sneaked in, Belgium hardly had clear-cut chances. Senegal, on the other hand, were wasteful since going 2-0 up in the 51st minute.

Ismaila Sarr scored with a sumptuous take and a powerful finish after Habib Diarra's 24th-minute opener. Sarr, who assisted Diarra’s goal, controlled a Moussa Niakhate’s long ball gracefully on his chest before firing past a stranded Thibaut Courtois.

The second goal forced Rudi Garcia to make a couple of bold substitutions by taking off Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku. Lukaku, who started on the bench, had been summoned at half time.

Diarra had been at the right place to turn in the opener after Sarr’s glancing header came off the upright from a Sadio Mane cross. Diarra, who was alert to the situation, poked it past Courtois.

In three earlier round of the 32 matches, in which African nations faced European opponents, the latter won twice. Senegal would aim to help Africa achieve parity with Europe as they take on Belgium in Seattle.

Morocco’s stunning shootout win over the Netherlands is the only African win over a European opposition in the knockout stages so far. In the previous match on the day, England survived a scare from DR Congo to advance, with Harry Kane scoring twice.

Erling Haaland scored in a 2-1 win over Norway over the Ivory Coast, sending out a second African side from nine that advanced from the group stages.