&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026 | Belgium coach Rudi Garcia hails captain Tielemans after come-from-behind win vs Senegal")
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia hailed captain Youri Tielemans after the midfielder's stoppage-time penalty completed a stunning 3-2 comeback win over Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 last 32 on Wednesday (Jul 1). Senegal appeared to have booked their place in the next round as they led by two goals with just five minutes remaining, but Belgium staged a remarkable fightback through goals from Romelu Lukaku and Tielemans to force extra time in Seattle. Tielemans then kept his composure to slot home a penalty in the 125th minute, sending Belgium into the round of 16. The Aston Villa midfielder endured a long wait before taking the kick as Senegal players crowded the spot, but he calmly finished to cap an improbable turnaround for the Red Devils.
)
Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 live on Zee5 Photograph: (FIFA)
Belgium coach hails sensation come-from-behind win
Garcia was full of praise for his captain after the match and said: "What matters is that Youri Tielemans had the composure and the quality. And once again, we have the experience to take that kind of penalty, because it's not easy."
"At 2-2, in the 120th minute or even later, when you're tired, and Youri was feeling it physically, to go and score that penalty is a difficult task. He succeeded. As a result, he has sent us through to the round of 16. Congratulations to our captain. I think he was outstanding."
The coach also reflected on how the dramatic turnaround could galvanise his squad ahead of the next round. "Going 2-0 down and then coming back to make it 2-2 gives you a huge lift, and now the journey continues," he said.
"It's true that a scenario like this can bring a group even closer together. It can make the players realise that, until a match is over and the final whistle has blown, anything can happen - as we showed."
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw, meanwhile, called the exit "cruel," saying his side had sat too deep after taking a 2-0 lead and were made to pay for it in the closing stages.