1 month ago
67
Key events
Moreira challenged Pape Sarr just outside the Senegal area, with the ball ricocheting towards Meunier on the right. He slipped a low cross to the near post, where Lukaku got across the defender and finished decisively with his right foot.
GOAL! Belgium 1-2 Senegal (Lukaku 86)
Romelu Lukaku gives Belgium hope!
86 min We’ve had a couple of emails suggesting Lukaku had to stop two Belgian players having a square-go during the hydration break. Not sure what happened but I’m sure we’ll find out.
85 min Mane runs through on goal and drives a low shot from the edge of the area that is pushed away the diving Courtois. Mane is then flagged offside, though I don’t think he was.
84 min Trossard plays a crisp pass into Tielemans, who beats his man but then sprays high and wide from 22 yards.
83 min A cross from Lukebakio, who has been pretty good since coming on, is headed back across goal and wide by Castagne. Tough chance. Senegal look comfortable.
79 min: Belgium substitution Thomas Meunier is on for Maxim De Cuyper.
78 min Lukebakio zips inside from the right, just outside the area, and flashes an excellent curler just wide of the far post.
For all Senegal’s dominance, a Belgium goal would mean all bets are off.
77 min A deep cross from Raskin on the right is headed back across by De Cuyper and booted clear by Ciss.
74 min “Assume this is likely to be the last time we see KDB at a major tournament,” says Colin Livingstone. Even as a non-Belgian, non-City fan, this feels quite sad.”
Has he underachieved at major tournaments or is that harsh? The goal v Brazil in 2018 was a scorcher, but it feels like he didn’t influence games in the same way as he did for City.
73 min: Senegal substitution Ibrahim Mbaye and Pape Sarr replaces Iliman Ndiaye and Habib Diarra.
70 min Time for a hydration break.
69 min Senegal are allowing Belgium more possession, but it’s all pretty harmless. Right now, it’s hard to see Belgium getting back into this.
68 min “Oasis are no Sparklehorse,” writes Peter Oh, “but Don’t Lukebakio in Anger might be an appropriate tune if Belgium do crash out.”
67 min: Senegal substitution Lamine Camara comes on for Pape Gueye, then immediately gets booked for a foul on Trossard.
63 min: Belgium substitution Diego Moreira replaces Hans Vanaken.
60 min Lukebakio dummies a couple of defenders and then has a shot blocked. Belgium are pressing but there isn’t a huge amount of conviction.
58 min My colleague Gregg Bakowski has a better reference point for Sarr’s first touch – this bit of genius from Luis Suarez.
Sarr’s wasn’t quite as good, no goal could be, but there are a lot of similarities.
56 min: Double substitution for Belgium Dodi Lukebakio and Nicolas Raskin replace two giants of Belgian football, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. Yikes. In defence of Rudi Garcia, both have had very quiet games.
54 min Sarr’s first touch gets better every time you see it. It was reminiscent of that famous Zinedine Zidane chest control against Portugal at Euro 2000. Not only did he take the force of the blow, he guided it carefuly into a position where he could finish with his second touch.
Ismaila Sarr doubles Belgium’s lead with a storming goal! He ran beyond the Belgium defence to receive Niakhate’s long, angled pass from deep inside the Senegal half. He controlled tbe ball beautifully on his chest – actually, it was almost his neck – and leathered it past Courtois with his right foot. That’s about as emphatic as a two-touch goal can get.
GOAL! Belgium 0-2 Senegal (I Sarr 51)
Pick that flipper out!
51 min: Great chance for Diarra!
It should be 2-0. Mane, who has been superb, skins Castagne in the area and cuts the ball back carefully towards Diarra. He shins it wide from 10 yards.
49 min That half chance aside, it’s been a quiet start to the second half. Senegal still look the better side.
Thanks also for your emails declaring love for bands as varied as The Mekons and Bon Jovi. I shall listen to them all tomorrow*.
46 min Senegal pick up where they left off with a half chance inside 30 seconds. Mane’s cross just evades Sarr and reaches Ndiaye, who sidefoots well wide from 15 yards.
Half-time substitution Belgium are bringing on Romelu Lukaka for Charles De Ketelaere.
Half time: Belgium 0-1 Senegal
Habib Diarra’s goal has given Senegal a deserved lead in Seattle. They’ve been slick, purposeful and have played with just the right amount of swagger. Belgium could do with a bit more swagger – they look lost.
45+5 min In fact it was De Cuyper who took it, lashing a shot into the wall.
45+4 min Doku is fouled 25 yards from goal. No idea who’ll take this.
45+1 min Five minutes of added time.
45 min: Good save by Diaw!
Belgium take a short corner on the left and work the ball infield to De Cuyper. He whips a curler from 25 yards that is pawed round the post by the diving Diaw. A save he should make, but still a good one.
44 min “Saw Sparklehorse live at the Hackney Empire in ’98” writes Gregory Phillips. “What a band. And Hammering the Cramps should the perfect pick-me-up for footballers in the 80th minute.”
43 min Better from Belgium. De Bruyne controls an awkward ball superbly on the chest and finds Doku on the right. His cross takes a big ricochet off Jakobs and is held smartly by the leaping Diaw.
42 min “Hello Rob,” writes Kári Tulinius. “While I love Animal Collective, even I must admit that their ‘paint’ era is musical marmite. That said, I really like Goalkeeper, off The Painters, which starts as if it’s going to be a metaphor, but turns out to be actually about goalkeepers. Lord knows they need their own anthem.”
I’m sad that Pavement never wrote a song called Peter Shilton.
41 min A decent spell of possession for Belgium. Eventually De Cuyper finds a bit of space on the left side of the area; his cutback, alas, finds a Senegal defender.
