The anatomy of a World Cup implosion: 40 minutes that broke Senegal and revived Belgium

Nobody inside the stadium could foresee the most preposterous of World Cup comebacks.

Well nobody except, perhaps, Belgium manager Rudi Garcia, who even at 2-0 as the clock ticked towards 86 minutes was anticipating some late carnage.

“We know these teams, they lose their tactical structure towards the end of the match,” Garcia told Belgian broadcaster RTBF. “We also knew they would do everything to protect their goal at 0-2. I think that was a serious mistake. Remind me not to do that when we’re two goals ahead.”

Garcia’s comments added fuel on the fire of a ferociously contested last-32 tie which saw history made in Seattle, leaving Belgium euphoric and Senegal in despair. This is how it happened.

---

Belgium were falling apart. Not much was expected of them at this World Cup, certainly compared to previous tournaments when they were legitimately amongst the favourites, but to lose meekly without laying a glove on an excellent Senegal side wasn’t in the script.

Garcia is known for his unorthodox substitutions but even by his standards, these were extreme, with Jeremy Doku, typically their best prospect for some lightning-quick creativity, withdrawn in the 56th minute, as well as legendary midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

De Bruyne accepted his fate, jogging immediately to the dugout, but Doku shook his head, muttered to himself and slowly trudged off, with Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin of Rangers sent on in their place. In the press box, the reaction from some Belgian journalists was equally outraged.

That wasn’t the only sign of discontent. Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans became embroiled in a heated argument as the players paused for the second half hydration break, with Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans waving his arms and yelling at his teammate. “Hey, hey!” Romelu Lukaku shouted at the pair as Raskin stood between them to keep them apart.

“Lukaku took care of calming them down,” Garcia later said. “I like that; it shows our team is alive. They were so eager to win. I want players who want to turn things around when things aren’t going well.”

Garcia’s team were threatening to unravel but he saw a way back into the match. He felt Belgium were losing possession too softly and, via Strasbourg youngster Diego Moreira who also came on in midfield, they rectified that, dominating much of the ball albeit without laying much of a glove on Senegal, whose supporters were partying their way to the last-16 in the stands.

“The strength of this group also lies in those who come off the bench,” Garcia added. “You can’t get results with just 11 players. We corrected our course well from the middle of the second half.”

Senegal were still cruising, but then came a comeback — or maybe more accurately an implosion — that will go down in World Cup history.

Just 159 seconds separated Belgium’s two goals from Lukaku and Tielemans, the latter involving a horrible mistake from stand-in keeper Mory Diaw, who rushed off his line and got nowhere near Trossard’s cross.

Tielemans and Trossard embraced, hugged and smiled, their argument now long forgotten.

While there were some complaints about the ball, which was soon changed after the equaliser, Senegal still looked the more likely winners in extra time. But there was to be one more cruel twist amid a barmy atmosphere in Seattle, with everyone in the stadium on their feet in the incredibly tense closing minutes.

Sadly for Senegal, it was a fairly soft penalty that decided it, as Lamine Camara committed a sliding challenge on Tielemans as the ball came across the six-yard box.

The resulting VAR review, which eventually led referee Said Martinez to overturn his decision (Graham Scott, The Athletic’s refereeing expert, said he “would have been happier had the VAR kept out”), and then a further stoppage as Senegal defender Pathe Ciss crouched over the penalty spot, refusing to move, lasted seven minutes in total.

That made Tielemans’ winning penalty, scored in the 125th minute, the latest goal ever scored at a World Cup match, comfortably beating Abdelmoumene Djabou 121st-minute goal for Algeria against Germany in 2014 (a consolation goal, with Germany winning the last 16 tie 2-1).

“Everyone has their own interpretation of the penalty, I won’t comment on the referee’s decision,” manager Thiaw said, again refusing to make excuses. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to manage the game when we were leading 2-0.

“Once they came back, it wasn’t easy. There were times when we had physical problems. Some players were tired, we were forced to make substitutions. We have to accept it, that’s football.”

Defender Krepin Diatta was also not in the mood to dodge blame.

“We almost made it, we have to stop making excuses,” Diatta stated. “We weren’t supposed to lose that match at that moment. The team lacked character.

“When you’re leading 2-0 in the 84th minute you have got to be the boss in your defence, even if it means putting your head in there. We failed. There’s no excuse. The people deserve better.”

Their honourable approach was, of course, in stark contrast to the AFCON final in January, when Thiaw instructed his players to leave the pitch in protest at a disallowed goal and VAR decision.

Here, his players could barely move at the full-time whistle. They lay or kneeled on the turf, completely distraught, while Belgium celebrated wildly. Neither set of players, or the near-capacity crowd in Seattle, could believe what had just happened.

It was a mad 40 minutes that will haunt Senegal for some time.