The Best Performance of the 2026 World Cup Round of 32

There were several terrific matches in the round of 32, but one exceptional comeback shone brightest.

Belgium produced one of the World Cup’s greatest comebacks. | Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Sometimes, the World Cup turns the impossible into reality. Those inside Lumen Field, Seattle, on Wednesday can attest to that as Belgium staged one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed on the international stage.

With 86 minutes on the clock, Belgium’s round of 32 clash with Senegal was over. Hotel bookings were being canceled and flights back to Europe organized as the Red Devils sat on the precipice, 2–0 down to its far superior opponent and readying itself for the fallout from another disastrous early exit at the World Cup.

Senegal was cruising to victory and already glancing ahead at a possible quarterfinal clash with the USMNT. Therein lay the problem, the African giants took their eyes off the prize and paid the ultimate penalty.

Belgium had shown few signs of possessing the quality required to stage a stunning turnaround as the sand slipped through the hourglass in Seattle. But this is soccer, where one moment can change absolutely everything.

That moment arrived four minutes from time when Romelu Lukaku, the country’s greatest ever goalscorer (92 goals from 130 games), deftly flicked Thomas Meunier’s cross into the roof of the net. Comeback on.

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The subsequent equalizer is partially indebted to Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw, who failed to claim a hopeful cross into the penalty area that was gratefully headed home by Youri Tielemans just three minutes later. Comeback complete.

Belgium still had to navigate extra time, however, and it seemed a penalty shootout was to decide the contest. One kick from 12 yards did ultimately make the difference, but it was a VAR-awarded penalty converted by Tielemans in the 125th minute that put the exclamation point on an unbelievable encounter.

Having battled back from the brink, Belgium had booked its place in the round of 16.

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Belgium Stages All-Time World Cup Miracle

A match that will live long in the memory. | Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/Getty Images.

Belgium’s performance was not one that will be remembered for scintilating soccer and gorgeous goals, but for the unbelievable spirit shown by a team fighting for its people. Heroic comebacks of such grandeur are seldom seen, even amid the unpredictability of the World Cup, and Rudi Garcia and his players deserve immense credit for their never-say-die attitude.

Of course, the turnaround was not just about hustle. Garcia made several tactical tweaks to help shift momentum, bringing on a much-needed focal point in Lukaku at halftime and then, rather ironically, withdrawing two of his superstars in Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku before the hour. On came Nicolas Raskin and Dodi Lukébakio in their place.

The alterations allowed Belgium to change formation and flood the final third with bodies, injecting some much-needed energy into its attacking play. Diego Moreira arrived shortly afterward for Hans Vanaken and Garcia’s men then prioritized width, moving the ball quickly to the flanks and firing cross after cross into the penalty area to pick out Lukaku.

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Belgium Stats vs. Senegal

Statistic	Belgium’s Total
Possession	52%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.74
Total Shots	19
Shots on Target	5
Touches in Opposition Box	37
Passing Accuracy	86%

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One delivery eventually found the towering striker and set the comeback in motion, before another caused chaos and facilitated Tielemans’s equalizer. Even the 125th-minute spot kick—the latest goal ever scored in the World Cup—came courtesy of a teasing near-post cross which resulted in Lamine Camara clipping Tielemans.

Garcia deserves plaudits for making the correct changes at the perfect junctures, and his substitutes have earned similar praise for enacting the game plan—even if Belgium was still far from flawless on Wednesday. Lukaku scored and Meunier assisted him, both rising from the bench, while Moreira’s cross forced the penalty.

What Belgium achieved was unprecedented. It was the latest a team had ever been trailing by two goals in a World Cup match before going on to avoid defeat. However, the Red Devils does have history of such sorcery, as it was the more recent team to come back from two goals down in a match at the tournament and progress by beating Japan 3–2 in 2018.

As much as Garcia helped change the match’s flow with his adjustments from the touchline, Wednesday’s game underscored the significance of momentum, confidence and, most crucially belief.

Belgium has to improve as the tournament progresses, especially if it’s to overcome the in-form USMNT in the next round, but the last-gasp drama against Senegal can inspire a much-needed uptick.

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