Trossard argued with Tielemans, De Bruyne left early at the 56th minute: Belgium defeated by internal discord once again.

At Lumen Field in Seattle, nearly 67,000 people watched Trossard and Tielemans face off and yell at each other in the 70th minute. The camera zoomed in, and their lip movements were crystal clear. Teammates cursing each other out.

Nineteen minutes later, Tielemans, the one doing the cursing, scored a dramatic equalizer to make it 2-2. In extra time, Pape Gueye added another, making it 3-2. Senegal advanced, Belgium went home. This was July 1, 2026, a Round of 32 match in the World Cup, a new product after the expansion to 48 teams.

Belgium coach Garcia didn't even make it to the moment of despair. In the 56th minute, trailing 0-1, he substituted both De Bruyne and Doku at the same time. When a coach makes changes after the 70th minute, accepting fate and taking a gamble, that's called a desperate substitution. But pulling the Manchester City core and the winger threat off in the 56th minute meant that whatever arrows he drew on the tactical board in the locker room at halftime, the players had completely forgotten the moment they walked out of the tunnel. Eleven minutes into the second half, the tactical plan was already in shambles.

Senegal took the lead in the 25th minute. Ismaïla Sarr's shot hit the post, and Habib Diallo scored on the rebound. Garcia likely identified the problem at halftime, but just sixteen minutes after he substituted De Bruyne, Senegal scored again.

In the 72nd minute, Moussa N'Diaye played a through ball, Sarr rounded Courtois and slotted into an empty net. 0-2. Sarr's fourth goal of this World Cup. Combined with his goal in Qatar 2022, he now has five World Cup goals in total. He has far surpassed Papa Bouba Diop, Senegal's previous World Cup top scorer, who had three goals in the tournament.

Belgium had nine touches in the opponent's penalty area, more than Senegal. The ball just kept moving around their feet without breaking through the door, their possession rate strung out like prayer beads.

Garcia had said before the match: "He is an excellent player and an excellent coach. I am happy for him. But I want to beat him." He was referring to Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.

Now he has lost.

Garcia called De Bruyne, Lukaku, Courtois, and Trossard "leaders." The Belgian media called them "past-their-prime stars." After beating New Zealand 5-1 in the group stage, Garcia angrily denounced these comments as "ugly," emphasizing, "I trust all my players, especially my leaders."

In this match, the media did the quality check for him. De Bruyne was substituted in the 56th minute, not even playing a full half. Courtois was easily beaten by Sarr, watching the ball roll into the net. Trossard spent the 70th minute busy arguing with a teammate. The only one who delivered was substitute Lukaku, scoring in the 86th minute to pull Belgium back from the brink, followed by Tielemans' equalizer in the 89th minute.

Four leaders. One substituted, one beaten, one arguing on the pitch. The remaining one only submitted his homework after coming off the bench.

Senegal captain Koulibaly was absent due to injury. They didn't need a superstar to save the match. Pape Thiaw's game plan was simple: run, press, counter. In the group stage, they lost 3-1 to France, lost 3-2 to Norway, thrashed Iraq 5-0, and advanced as one of the best third-placed teams. Their eight goals were already a record for an African team in a single World Cup. In this knockout match, they added three more: Diallo, Sarr, and Pape Gueye in extra time. Gueye's goal was called a "worldie" by the French media.

A team that finished third in its group, scoring eleven goals, more prolific than most group winners.

Belgium was the Group G winner. They scored six goals in the group stage, five of which came in the 5-1 win over New Zealand. In that match, Trossard scored a brace, and De Bruyne also scored, giving the impression that this Belgian team still had hope. They played out a 0-0 stalemate with Iran, and their expected goals (xG) against Egypt was only 1.35. They held the ball but couldn't convert it. Their goal difference was +4, all from the New Zealand game. When facing opponents who could really bite back, the numbers on paper were just a fig leaf.

To see if a team is truly dead, don't look at possession. Look at who is cursing on the pitch when they are losing.

In Qatar 2022, Belgium was eliminated in the group stage. Hazard, De Bruyne, and Vertonghen had a heated argument in the locker room. De Bruyne publicly said the team was too old, and Vertonghen made veiled retorts in an interview. That "Golden Generation" shattered in the desert.

Four years later, in Seattle. Internal strife, elimination. They dragged it out from the group stage to the first round of the knockout phase, lasting only a few more days. The players are four years older, and there are a few more newspapers criticizing them.

Senegal's next match is on July 6th against the USA or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Belgium has no next match.