Belgium — Senegal

Two goals down with four minutes left. Two goals up on xG by a country mile. And somehow Senegal leave Lumen Field with a draw instead of a win. That is the brutal paradox of this round-of-32 clash in Seattle — a match the numbers say Senegal dominated, and the scoreboard says nobody won. Senegal were the better side for the vast majority of ninety minutes, and the xG screams it: 3.54 to 1.8. Sharper movement, more dangerous transitions, clinical edge in the first hour. Habib Diarra opened the scoring on 25 minutes — composed, well-timed, exactly the goal a young midfielder dreams about. Ismaïla Sarr doubled the lead six minutes into the second half, and at that point the Lions looked like a team playing the tournament of their lives. Sarr's pace and directness punished every half-second of hesitation Belgium offered. But Senegal's flaw? One big chance missed, and a defensive block that crumbled under late pressure. Dropping too deep, inviting siege instead of managing possession — the triple substitutions at 90 minutes disrupted shape at the worst possible moment. Belgium were frustratingly passive for too long. De Bruyne withdrawn at 56 minutes with the team two down and anonymous. Nineteen shots, only five on target — plenty of motion, not enough precision. The Red Devils had three big chances and converted all three, but two of them came in the final four minutes. That is not a system working. That is desperation finding its reward. Lukaku pulled one back on 86 minutes — because of course he did. Then in the 90th, VAR awarded Belgium a penalty after a review involving Tielemans. The call will be argued from Brussels to Dakar: foul or simulation, justice or theft? Tielemans converted. 2–2. Full time. The xG says Senegal deserved more. The scoreboard says Belgium survived. Neither tells you how to feel about it. On FootLegion, the goals your nation scored tonight stay yours forever — no VAR can touch them there. So: was that 90th-minute penalty a robbery or a fair call? And can either side really progress deep into this tournament playing this open?