Youri Tielemans penalty seals extraordinary comeback win after Leandro Trossard and Tielemans bust-up
Dominican King
How did this happen? The bar who controlled the stadium playlist and provided the perfect song for the series was an enigma to everyone.
Tiger’s Eye The first half of extra time was played and how fitting that Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard threatened to emulate Rocky Balboa, but both found it within themselves to rise to the challenge of their opponents.
Senegal should have taken a two-goal lead to topple Belgium in the 51st minute and that feeling was further strengthened in the second period when Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans and Arsenal’s Trossard clicked their fingers together, pushed and exchanged insults.
At that stage Belgium were a clueless, rudderless rabble, and the fight between two players who should have known better would be a sad epitaph for the curtain falling on the last dance of Belgium’s golden generation.
But somehow, in two frantic minutes at the end of normal time, Romelu Lukaku, the burly negotiator who prevented Tielemans and Trossard from heading into a regrettable area, scored from nowhere and Tielemans then equalized from Trossard’s cross.
It was a remarkable turnaround, but it was still not the end. Senegal substitute Lamine Camara was judged by the video assistant referee to have fouled Tielemans in the 119th minute – referee Said Martinez initially ignored the appeal – and after a delay Aston Villa’s man scored.
If a Hollywood script had had such an outcome you’d laugh at the sheer implausibility of it, but it was real – painfully so for Senegal – and Belgium are in the last 16 when they should actually be in the departure hall today.
“We were behind but we showed character,” Lukaku said. “That’s what you have to do in matches like this. The Senegal team is one of the best teams in the tournament. It was really challenging technically, physically and tactically. But our team spirit shined through and we won the match.”
Senegal had not beaten a European team at the World Cup since 2002, but they could never have asked for a better chance after dominating the opening 86 minutes and feeling damned, especially after the row following their Africa Cup of Nations final with Morocco in February.
Here they wore the curious cloak of being the “worst of the best” third-place teams who qualified for the knockout rounds, but played with the arrogance of the title they believed they carried: champions of Africa; quite simply they pulled Belgium from pillar to pillar.
Nothing showed this more than the goal they opened the scoring with. After a two-minute spell of uninterrupted possession with 26 passes from left to right and back again, former warrior Sadio Mane launched a cross that Ismaila Sarr headed towards the post.
It doesn’t matter. Sunderland striker Habib Diarra was on hand for the rebound. The light appeared to be completely out for Belgium when Sarr doubled the advantage with a spectacular finish in the 51st minute.
Thibaut Courtois lay on his back, dressed in yellow, staring at the waving net behind him as if it were the scene of a crime. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was not responsible for this score, but his distraught appearance seemed to reflect everything.
The two-goal advantage was the advantage Senegal least deserved for their adventure and guile, and it was also the advantage Belgium least deserved for such a lackluster performance. Shouldn’t you be eliminated from the World Cup by giving it your all instead of crawling along meekly?
A few minutes later, when Kevin De Bruyne was substituted and retired to a back row seat, it felt like the contest was over. But this is a tournament, and remarkable things can and often do happen in tournaments.
To be fair, Lukaku did make a difference and when he scored it felt like a punch to the jaw and Senegal began to falter. Belgium got their second chance when Tielemans came on in the 89th minute and how they used it.
“We had a good performance in the first half but it wasn’t enough,” said Sunderland player Diarra. “A match lasts 90 minutes and we are miserable. It’s very difficult. I don’t know what to say. When you step on the pitch you have to give everything and we didn’t do that. We only have ourselves to blame.”
Yes, the punishment was very harsh and any decision that needed to be examined and analyzed for four minutes was not clear-cut as it was. But it was granted and Tielemans did the rest. It was the greatest example of combat excitement you could ever want to see.
Telegraph, London
