Lukaku’s choice to hand penalty to Tielemans fuels Belgium’s comeback

Romelu Lukaku's emotional relief after Belgium's comeback against Senegal contrasted with his selfless decision to hand the decisive penalty to teammate Youri Tielemans. The striker, who scored the equaliser as a substitute, explained his choice and reflected on his role in the World Cup. Lukaku was again on the bench for the Belgian national team, just as he had been against Egypt and New Zealand, and his late equaliser sparked the spectacular turnaround against Senegal. It marked his third decisive substitute appearance of the tournament, following an own‑goal forced versus Egypt and a goal against New Zealand. After the match Lukaku appeared visibly relieved and emotional, saying, "What a match. It was incredibly intense. We have shown that this team has character. On evenings like this you have to dare to fight and show that you really want to go for it. We did that.".

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Belgium had trailed 0‑2 before rallying, and Lukaku noted that Senegal is among the strongest sides at the World Cup, describing them as physically powerful and tactically well organised, requiring mental resilience from his teammates. When the decisive penalty in arose, Lukaku passed it to Youri Tielemans despite being the all‑time top scorer for Belgium. He admitted, "Actually it was intended that I would take it, but I felt I was not mentally ready yet. I have experienced a lot in the past months and at such a moment you have to be honest with yourself. Youri felt good and took the responsibility. That was the right decision.".

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Tielemans converted the spot‑kick, sending Belgium cold‑bloodedly to the quarter‑finals, and Lukaku emphasised that the team's victory mattered more than individual credit, stating, "At that moment it's not about me. The only thing that matters is the team wins. Who makes the penalty doesn't matter as long as we go through.". Reflecting personally, Lukaku said, "I sometimes feel that my father from above helps me. I just try to play my role and help the team when I come onto the field. That's currently the most important.".