World Cup: Miracle in Seattle

The Belgians struggled for almost the entire match against Senegal. Trailing 2-0 (Habib Diarra in the 24th minute and Ismaïla Sarr in the 51st), hardly anyone still believed Belgium could pull off a victory. And yet, in the very final minutes, a true miracle unfolded.

Just as they did eight years ago against Japan at the World Cup in Russia, the Red Devils staged a remarkable comeback (Romelu Lukaku in the 86th minute, followed by Youri Tielemans in the 89th minute and again in the 120th+5 minute from the penalty spot), allowing them to continue their World Cup journey.

A Match for the World Cup History Books

According to Opta statistics, Belgium became the first nation ever to qualify for the next round after trailing by two goals beyond the 85th minute. Never before had a team managed to avoid defeat in regulation time under such circumstances.

Youri Tielemans' penalty goal, scored after 124 minutes and 44 seconds, will also go down in World Cup history as the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match.

Furthermore, since the 2002 World Cup, only one team had previously won a knockout-stage match after being so thoroughly outplayed over the course of the game (Senegal recorded 3.54 expected goals against the Red Devils). That team was also Belgium, as in 2018 the Belgians reached the semi-finals despite conceding 4.1 expected goals against Brazil.

In the Round of 16, Belgium will take on the United States, the host nation of this World Cup.