Belgium were minutes away from going home. Down 2-0 to Senegal deep into extra time at the FIFA World Cup in Seattle, the Red Devils looked like a team writing their own obituary. Then Youri Tielemans got hit in the penalty area, the referee went to the monitor, and everything changed.

The penalty was awarded in the 122nd minute following a lengthy VAR review of a challenge by Senegal’s Lamine Kamara on Tielemans. Belgium won 3-2, completing a full resurrection from a two-goal deficit to secure their spot in the Round of 16.

The call that split opinion

The footage is, to put it mildly, not conclusive. Tielemans went down after contact from Kamara, and the on-field referee initially appeared content to let play continue. VAR had other ideas.

After reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, the referee pointed to the spot. Tielemans stepped up to take the penalty himself and converted it.

Roy Keane called it a soft decision, assessing that a penalty of that magnitude probably should not have been given at such a critical juncture.

The comeback itself was absurd

Senegal had controlled the match for long stretches, building a two-goal cushion against a traditional European power. To lose it all in the final minutes, partly through a penalty call that half the football world considers generous, is the kind of gut punch that can define a team’s tournament legacy for decades.

The July 1, 2026 match in Seattle will be remembered differently by different people. For Belgian fans, it’s an instant classic. For Senegal supporters, it’s an injustice.

Tielemans, the Aston Villa midfielder who has spent years operating as one of the more quietly effective central midfielders in the Premier League, suddenly finds himself at the center of a World Cup talking point that won’t go away anytime soon.