Belgium edge five-goal thriller against Senegal to reach World Cup last 16

Belgium survived a major scare to beat Senegal 3-2 in a breathless World Cup Round of 32 tie, edging a high-quality contest that swung repeatedly and was decided by fine defensive margins.

• Belgium will play with . , on .
• Senegal will play with . , on .

Belgium

• Thibaut Nicolas Marc Courtois (6.9)
• Timothy Castagne (6.6)
• Brandon Mechele (6.6)
• Arthur Nicolas Theate (7)
• Maxim De Cuyper (6.3)
• Youri Marion A. Tielemans (8.3)
• Hans Vanaken (6.9)
• Leandro Trossard (7.3)
• Kevin De Bruyne (6.7)
• Jérémy Baffour Doku (6.9)
• Charles Marc De Ketelaere (6.2)

Senegal

Substitutions:

Belgium

• Charles Marc De Ketelaere (Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli, 46)
• Kevin De Bruyne (Nicolas Thierry Raskin, 56)
• Jérémy Baffour Doku (Dodi Lukebakio Ngandoli, 56)
• Hans Vanaken (Diego Manuel Jadon da Silva Moreira, 63)
• Maxim De Cuyper (Thomas André A. Meunier, 78)
• Leandro Trossard (Amadou Ba Zeund Georges Mvom Onana, 109)

Senegal

• Pape Alassane Gueye (Lamine Camara, 66)
• Iliman Cheikh Baroy Ndiaye (Ibrahim Mbaye, 73)
• Mouhamadou Habib Diarra (Pape Matar Sarr, 73)
• Sadio Mané (Nicolas Jackson, 93)
• Ismail Joshua Jakobs (El Hadji Malick Diouf, 93)
• Idrissa Gana Gueye (Bara Ndiaye, 96)

Ball possession:

Roberto Martínez’s side dominated possession with 52% of the ball and eventually made it count, but they were pushed to the limit by a bold Senegal team who matched their intensity and threatened to force extra time.

Passes:

Belgium registered 19 shots – five on target – with Youri Tielemans the most frequent shooter on the pitch, while Senegal replied with 16 efforts and five on goal, led by the constant menace of Ismaïla Sarr.

Defense:

### Belgium hold their nerve in open contest

Face-to-face:

In a match that showcased both attacking flair and frantic defending, Belgium’s greater poise in key moments proved decisive.

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• Brandon Mechele (Belgium) at 64 minute
• Lamine Camara (Senegal) at 67 minute

Penalties in a match:

• Youri Marion A. Tielemans (Belgium) at 120 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• Belgium –
• Senegal –

Top 5 World Cup scorers:

1. Masour Ousmane Dembélé (3, )
2. Harry Edward Kane (3, )
3. Kylian Mbappé Lottin (2, )
4. Ismaïla Sarr (2, )
5. Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli (2, )

Line-ups:

Next games:

• Belgium will play with . , on .
• Senegal will play with . , on .