Belgium were close to going home.

Then the match changed, the pressure shifted, and Senegal’s grip on the game slowly disappeared.

A 3-2 win after extra time sent Belgium into the World Cup round of 16, where the United States now wait. It was a dramatic escape for Rudi Garcia’s side, who had trailed 2-0 and looked short of answers for long spells.

Afterwards, Garcia did not only praise Belgium’s recovery. He also pointed to what he saw as Senegal’s decisive mistake.

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Senegal paid for stepping back

According to Nieuwsblad, Garcia said Belgium had expected Senegal to retreat after taking control of the match.

“We took advantage of what I told my players at half-time, that Senegal would retreat to defend their lead,” Garcia said.

For the Belgium coach, that choice changed the game.

“I believe that was a big mistake. This type of team loses some of their tactical structure along the way. That gave us belief,” he said.

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The same comments were also reported by TV 2 Sport, after Belgium’s late comeback kept their World Cup alive.

Belgium found life late

Senegal had looked in control.

They led 2-0 and had the match where they wanted it. Their pace, discipline and physical strength had caused Belgium problems, while Garcia’s side struggled to find rhythm in the final third.

But as Senegal dropped lower, Belgium began to see more of the ball in dangerous areas.

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Reported by The Guardian, Romelu Lukaku started the comeback before Youri Tielemans equalised late in normal time. Tielemans then scored the decisive penalty in extra time.

It was a brutal ending for Senegal, who had been minutes away from one of the tournament’s major knockout wins.

A comeback with familiar echoes

Belgium’s comeback also carried echoes of their famous 2018 World Cup win over Japan, when they recovered from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

This time, the rescue act came even later.

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Described by AP, Tielemans’ winning penalty came in the 125th minute, making it the latest goal in World Cup history.

That detail underlines how close Belgium were to a penalty shootout, and how little time Senegal had left to respond.

For Garcia, however, the turning point had arrived earlier. In his view, Senegal’s attempt to protect the lead gave Belgium exactly what they needed: territory, belief and one final chance to attack the game.

Belgium survive, Senegal wonder what went wrong

Senegal will look back on this match with regret.

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For much of the evening, they had Belgium under control. They were organized, dangerous and close to eliminating a European heavyweight.

But knockout football can punish even small changes in momentum. Once Senegal stopped pushing forward with the same conviction, Belgium found a way back into the contest.

Garcia’s comments will not soften the defeat.

They do, however, capture the cruelty of the night. Senegal were not beaten because they were outplayed from start to finish. They were beaten because, at 2-0 up, the match began to change around them.

Belgium now move on to face the United States.

Senegal are left with the harder question: whether they defended a lead too early, and paid for it too late.