Belgium snatch dramatic 3-2 win over Senegal as Rice allays England injury fears

Belgium survived a remarkable collapse by Senegal to advance at the World Cup round of 32, winning 3-2 after extra time thanks to a Youri Tielemans penalty in the 120th minute. Senegal had led 2-0 through Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr and appeared certain to progress until the tie unravelled in the final four minutes of normal time.

Romelu Lukaku pulled one back with just four minutes remaining, before Leandro Trossard levelled in the last minute of regulation to force 30 minutes of additional time. With the match seemingly heading for a penalty shootout, Lamine Camara fouled Tielemans inside his own area deep into extra time. A lengthy VAR review confirmed the spot kick, and Tielemans converted to send Belgium through — a decision that left Senegal furious, having already felt aggrieved by VAR interventions earlier in the tournament.

In the earlier fixture, England secured their place in the last 16 with a 2-1 win over DR Congo, though it was far from comfortable. The Three Lions trailed for the majority of the match before Harry Kane produced a late brace to turn the result around.

The victory was tempered by a moment of concern when Declan Rice hobbled off late in the game, replaced by John Stones. The Arsenal midfielder has since moved to reassure England supporters, however, confirming there is no serious issue ahead of their round of 16 clash with Mexico on Monday, 6 July.

“It’s what happens when you play in 30-degree heat I suppose,” Rice told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Tough game. Give it everything and bodies been through a lot in that match. Time to recover and go again.”

He added simply: “I’m fine. Good as gold.”

Attention now turns to San Francisco, where the USA face Bosnia & Herzegovina in the final round of 32 fixture of the evening, looking to extend what has been a strong World Cup campaign so far.