Trossard and Tielemans brawl then combine to rescue Belgium's dramatic comeback against Senegal

Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans went from a heated on-pitch confrontation to match-saving heroes as Belgium clawed back a 2-0 deficit against Senegal in their 2026 World Cup clash in Washington, with Romelu Lukaku required to physically separate the two players before the dramatic turnaround.

The Arsenal and Aston Villa midfielders exchanged words midway through the second half, visibly frustrated with one another after Tielemans floated a dangerous delivery to the far post that no Belgium player attacked. Nicolas Raskin, who had just come on as a substitute for Kevin De Bruyne, initially stepped in to keep the pair apart, before Lukaku intervened to push them away from each other.

At the time of the incident, Belgium were trailing 2-0, with goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr having put Senegal firmly in control. Rudi Garcia’s side looked a shadow of the team that finished third at the 2018 World Cup, struggling against opponents ranked below them in the FIFA world rankings.

The flashpoint appeared to jolt Belgium into action. Substitute Thomas Meunier hooked a loose ball towards Lukaku at the front post in the 86th minute, and the Napoli forward — true to his international pedigree — caressed a neat first-time finish past Senegal goalkeeper Diaw to make it 2-1.

With four minutes remaining, Trossard and Tielemans combined to complete the comeback. Trossard hung a looping cross towards the far post, and Tielemans rose highest to power a header past Diaw, levelling the match and forcing extra time. The pair embraced after the goal, smiling as they jogged back to the halfway line — the earlier animosity apparently forgotten in the heat of the moment.