The Frustration Is Real: How Senegal’s 85-Minute Dream Died in Three Minutes

Senegal fans were already singing. Green and gold flags waved in the Seattle night, drums echoed around the stadium and phones were raised to record a moment no one thought would come. Two-nil up. Five minutes left. Senegal were five minutes from the World Cup Round of 16.

For 85 minutes, the Lions of Teranga were the better team. They were faster, sharper and braver. They pressed Belgium into mistakes, and they finished their chances. In the 24th minute, Sadio Mané’s shot crashed off the post and Habib Diarra was there to tap in. The stadium erupted.

Belgium looked old, slow and finished. Kevin De Bruyne could not find space. Thibaut Courtois was busy. Senegal struck again in the 51st minute to worsen Belgium’s night. Moussa Niakhaté lifted a ball over the top, Ismaila Sarr brought it down on his chest and buried it. 2-0.

The Lions roared after that. They missed one big chance to extend the lead. Belgium had nothing. The scoreboard was unbelievable. Belgium’s hopes looked buried.

Then, in the 86th minute, Romelu Lukaku scored from a scramble. 2-1. The Belgian fans found their voice. Three minutes later, Youri Tielemans rose highest from a corner and headed in. 2-2. Just like that, five minutes of football erased 85 minutes of Senegalese dominance. That is when football decided to be cruel. Two goals in three minutes.

You could see it on the players’ faces. Shoulders dropped. The Lions were shocked. The strength and the hopes vanished. The drums stopped.

Extra time came with both teams running on empty legs and full hearts. It felt like penalties were inevitable. Until the 125th minute.

Tielemans burst into the box, Abdou Diallo slid in, and the ball flashed across goal. The referee waved play on. Then VAR called him over. A long review followed. Senegal’s players surrounded him, begging, arguing. “We believed there was no penalty,” coach Aliou Cissé said later, his voice flat.

The decision stood. Penalty.

Lukaku picked up the ball and handed it to Tielemans. “Take it,” he said. Tielemans did. He picked out the top corner. 3-2. The latest goal ever scored in World Cup history, at 125 minutes.

Belgium 3, Senegal 2, after extra time. It sounds like a normal scoreline. It was not. It was one of the cruellest nights in Senegalese football history, the kind that keeps you awake at 3 a.m. replaying four minutes in your head.

Senegal had one last corner. Courtois came up for it. It came to nothing. The whistle blew.

Belgium’s players collapsed into a pile. In shock, disbelief, anger and frustration, Senegal’s players just stood there. Some sat on the turf. Some walked straight down the tunnel.

And that is the frustration. Senegal were better for most of the night. They created more. They missed less. They led with five minutes to go. But they lost.

Because football does not care how long you are on top. It only cares who is standing when the whistle goes.

Belgium will face co-hosts USA on Monday, still alive. Senegal go home with the memory of 85 perfect minutes and five minutes they will never get back.

The frustration is real.

Join our WhatsApp Channel

Be part of a growing community that relies on Dagmedia News for fast, accurate, and credible updates from across Zimbabwe and beyond.

We also offer: Graphic Design, Photography, Web Design, Videography, Concept Development, Idea Generation & Incubation, and Advertising Services.

Click here to subscribe: Follow us on WhatsApp