Belgian stars Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans had to be briefly separated by Romelu Lukaku and the rest of their team-mates before they staged a stunning comeback against Senegal at the World Cup. Arsenal and Aston Villa players were involved in a heated exchange as emotions flared midway through the second half.
Coach Rudi Garcia’s team took the lead over Senegal with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr, and were trailing 0-2 at the time of the incident. Belgium looked a far cry from the team that took third place at the 2018 World Cup and were on track to lose out in competition with opponents lower in the FIFA rankings.
During the game in Seattle, frustration continued to mount before the second hydration break. Tielemans whipped a cross towards the back post, but none of the Belgian players tried to meet it.
Trossard and Tielemans then had a heated exchange after Lukaku was stationary in the center of the penalty area and his shot failed to find his teammate and went harmlessly out.
Nicolas Raskin, who had just come on as a substitute for Kevin De Bruyne, was forced to intervene to separate the pair as they headed towards the touchline, before Lukaku intervened to separate them. However, this confrontation seemed to galvanize Belgium completely against the flow of the game.
Shortly after a heated exchange, substitute Thomas Meunier hit Lukaku’s front post with a loose ball in the 86th minute.
The Napoli striker, as he has always done throughout his international career, cut the gap to one point with an elegant first-time finish, guiding the ball past Diaw and into the net.
With just four minutes remaining, Belgium created a chance and, as if by script, two of the Premier League’s feuding stars combined in the closing stages to level the score.
Trossard fed a cross towards the far post, and Tielemans rose highest to reach the ball ahead of Senegalese goalkeeper Diaw and slot his header into the back of the net.
It was a disappointing mistake for Senegal, but Trossard and Tielemans appeared to put their differences aside after combining for the equalizer. They hugged each other for their contribution in getting Belgium back into the game and smiled as they made their way back to the halfway line, sending the game into extra time.
Belgium got back on the scoresheet as Tielemans found the back of the net from the penalty spot, winning the match 3-2 and securing a tie for the last 16 with the United States.
Initially no spot-kick was awarded, but the referee checked the VAR pitchside monitor and awarded Belgium a spot-kick after Lamine Camara committed a foul on Tielemans.
