By Sam Tobin
SEATTLE, June 30 (Reuters) - Belgium were 2-0 down to Senegal and once more crashing out of the World Cup early when the second-half hydration break presented a chance for coach Rudi Garcia to marshal his players and try to drag them back into the contest.
Garcia instead had to try and calm down his captain Youri Tielemans and winger Leandro Trossard, who were separated by teammates amid a furious row, which was until then the most fight Belgium had shown in a limp, lifeless display.
Yet
little more than 20 minutes later the pair warmly embraced after combining to make it 2-2, Tielemans heading in Trossard's superb cross to complete an unlikely comeback, having been second best to Senegal for the vast majority of the game.
Belgium's record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku, one of the few remaining of the 'golden generation' which came third in 2018, first gave them hope with an instinctive finish in the 86th minute, his seventh World Cup goal.
Fittingly, though, it was Tielemans – the link between the new and old generations and an unused substitute in the semi-final defeat to France eight years ago – who forced extra time before coolly converting a penalty to win it at the very end.
Their next opponents, either the United States or Bosnia and Herzegovina, will see plenty of weaknesses to exploit. But the nature of Belgium's win, plus their talent and newly found fight, makes them an ominous prospect.
BELGIUM BANISH RECENT DISAPPOINTMENTS
Before Wednesday, Belgium had only won a single major tournament knockout game since the 2018 World Cup, beating Portugal in the last 16 of the COVID-delayed Euro 2020.
But, after their elimination in the group stage four years ago and defeat by France at Euro 2024, memories of their recent zenith had long since faded, along with the legs of the talismanic Kevin De Bruyne and Lukaku.
Their performance against Senegal for much of the contest hardly suggests a return to their 2018 vintage, though they can point to how that run to the semi-finals began by overturning a 2-0 deficit to similarly triumph at the death against Japan.
Garcia, who conceded that Senegal had deserved to win, said he saw Tielemans and Trossard's argument in the second half as a good sign for his side's chances.
"Lukaku tried to calm both of them down, but I like that," he told reporters. "It means that we have a lively team ... Leandro, Youri, they are two major players on the Belgian side.
"They so want to win. I don't even know why they were arguing, but I like that – I like to see players who really want to turn the situation around when things are not (going) well."
(Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by Christian Radnedge)
