Belgium's extra‑time penalty saga secures World Cup quarter‑final spot

Belgium's victory secured a place in the World Cup quarter‑finals after a penalty was awarded deep in . The decision came after a protracted VAR review that left the referee hesitating for minutes. The VAR scrutinised the incident for an extended period before referee Said Martinez was summoned to the screen. Martinez stared at the monitor, aware that his choice would decide the 16th‑final. Camara was alleged to have committed a penalty foul on Youri Tielemans in the 118th minute of . The incident triggered the VAR intervention that ultimately led to the spot‑kick.

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Diego Moreira positioned himself on the spot to prevent the Senegalese from sabotaging the decision. Ciss reacted by pulling Moreira's hair, staying on the spot and displaying obvious dissent. Romelu Lukaku stood ready to take the penalty but said, "If I wanted to take it? Yes, but mentally I’m still dealing with difficult moments, so I’d rather leave such an important moment to Youri." He handed the ball to Tielemans at the last moment. Tielemans, describing his mindset, said, "I tried to get my calm back. You have to believe in your abilities. It was always clear I would take it. Lukaku only caused distraction." He struck the ball, sending it close to the bottom corner and securing the win. Tielemans later expressed his pride, stating, "Dit is na Japan (in 2018, red.) toch wel heel mooi. Ik ben heel trots om kapitein van deze ploeg te zijn. Het is een ongelooflijk gevoel om ons naar de achtste finales te schieten." Belgium now turns its focus to preparing for the upcoming quarter‑final match.