SEATTLE — Belgium will extend their stay in the Pacific Northwest following the latest dramatic ending in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.

Trailing by multiple goals to Senegal with five minutes remaining in regulation at Seattle Stadium on Wednesday, the Red Devils furiously rallied to tie the game. Later in extra time, just moments from the game going to decisive penalty kicks, Belgium captain Youri Tielemans drilled home the game-winning goal on a PK awarded following a VAR review.

Belgium still needed to survive a final free kick from just outside their penalty box on the final play of the game, but in the end they advanced to the round of 16 with a 3-2 win.

It sets up a potential showdown against the United States back in Seattle on Monday. The USMNT play their round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in San Francisco on Wednesday night.

“Now we must recuperate, recuperate, recuperate, because it is hard on the legs,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. “In extra time it’s like two boxers, we kept fighting and fighting.”

Whoever the next opponent ultimately is, it will come in familiar surroundings. Belgium’s World Cup base camp is just a few miles down the road at the Sounders FC Performance Center, and the Red Devils opened their World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Egypt in another dramatic game.

“I believe in the quality of this side,” Garcia said. “It’s not the best of all time, but tonight we wrote history.”

Senegal dominated the first 85 minutes of the match, with the Lions of Teranga mercilessly pressuring Belgium’s overwhelmed backline. After Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a diving attempt to thwart an early attempt, Senegal opened the scoring on a rebound by Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra in the 25th minute.

Senegal made it 2-0 in the 51st minute on an outstanding goal by Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr, who took a long ball from Moussa Niakhate off his chest, shielded a defender and knocked his shot past a helpless Courtois.

Belgium appeared headed for a World Cup exit with little in the way of a threat on Senegal goalie Mory Diaw. Garcia brought Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku on at halftime and later subbed off Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne.

Garcia urged his players during the second half hydration break to try to find one goal and then “anything can happen.” And it did when Lukaku found the back of the net with an 86th-minute goal.

With their World Cup hopes resuscitated, Belgium continued to press. Tielemans scored his first goal of the game just three minutes later when he fought through a pair of Senegal defenders to head a ball past Diaw, who had ventured out of his goal.

That set the stage for a dramatic ending for the sellout crowd of 66,925.

Extra time remained scoreless, with Belgium’s Dodi Lukebakio sending a solid look over the goal in the 109th minute. That was after the ball had passed by Tielemans, who went down on a tackle by Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara.

Referee Said Martinez was alerted to a VAR review, and several minutes later returned with the decision that a penalty kick had been awarded. Lukaku initially had the ball, before handing it to the Red Devils captain.

Tielemans, who had made one of two previous career penalty kicks for the national team, calmly drilled it into the upper right-hand corner for the game-winning goal.

“This Senegal side is one of the best teams in the tournament. Technically, physically and tactically, it was really tough,” Lukaku said. “But when we stepped up the intensity of our pressing, when we were there for the second ball, our team spirit shone through and we won the match.”

Garcia, who called Senegal the best African team in the tournament, said the penalty call was “justified.” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw was also asked multiple times for his opinion, but declined to offer one.

“Some people said there should not be (a foul given),” Thiaw said. “I do not want to interpret the referee’s decision. There’s always room for interpretation. I’d rather not comment on him. I’d rather not comment at all.”

Thiaw acknowledged that his team did not recover its energy after Belgium scored late in regulation, and that the loss marked a “cruel” end to his team’s World Cup.

“A football match is not an 85-minute one,” Thiaw said. “Belgium came back and we were not able to handle that.

“Football is a cruel sport. It’s not easy for me, it’s not easy for the players. I feel like they gave it their all. They wanted it for their country, but it did not work out.”

–Derek Harper, Field Level Media

Spain will try to win their first knockout match at a World Cup since capturing the 2010 title when they face an Austrian side that should be unmoved by high-quality European opposition.

Spain entered the tournament as one of the oddsmakers’ favorites after winning the 2024 European Championships. They carry a record 34-match unbeaten run in competitive fixtures into the knockout phase.

Even so, there is a sense that two of Spain’s three group stage performances failed to meet expectations. In their opener, they settled for a 0-0 draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde. In the finale, a mistake from Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was the difference in Spain’s 1-0 win to top the group.

In that context, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said it’s understandable his nation’s fans may be less than impressed.

“It would be strange if they didn’t make any demands from us,” de la Fuente said via an interpreter. “But we are very self-demanding. We like to compete. We are sportsmen and we love to improve day by day.”

The best news from that group finale for Spain may have been Lamine Yamal playing 76 minutes. That was the longest outing from the prodigious 18-year-old since he went the full 90 in the second leg of FC Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League semifinal defeat to Atletico Madrid in April.

Yamal suffered a hamstring tear in his next appearance on April 22, and has been eased back into national team action over the tournament — scoring the opener in Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in their middle group game.

Meanwhile, de la Fuente said while winger Nico Williams will miss the match following a tackle suffered against Uruguay, he’s hopeful the new issue is minor and that the wide man could return if Spain progress.

Austria will be seeking their first knockout-phase victory in a major tournament after losing in the round of 16 in the 2020 and 2024 European Championships. Austria progressed to a second group phase in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Austria have proven capable of handling Europe’s most powerful sides during those Euro appearances, in 2020 finishing second in a group that included the Netherlands and Ukraine, and in 2024 topping a foursome that included the Netherlands and France.

They haven’t faced the Spaniards since a 2009 friendly. Their last win over them came way back in 1990 in another friendly fixture.

“Of course, we know that the Spanish are very secure on the ball and have outstanding individual players,” said Austria captain Florian Grillitsch via a translation. “I think we have to be a nuisance, counter them with our intensity and our pressing. We need to keep their forwards, their one-on-one players, in check as best we can and then wait for our opportunities.”

Manager Ralf Rangnick’s squad required a dramatic 3-3 draw with Algeria to reach the next phase, with Sasa Kalajdzic’s header in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time cancelling Riyad Mahrez’s go-ahead strike minutes earlier.

That followed a 2-0 loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina after opening the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Jordan.

–Field Level Media

Now that they finally have a win this season, the Calgary Stampeders can get back to .500 on Thursday night when they host the Toronto Argonauts.

But their defense might need to perform better than it did on Saturday in a 41-33 victory over the B.C. Lions in Kelowna, B.C. Calgary avenged last November’s playoff loss to B.C. by controlling both sides of the ball and building a 38-17 fourth-quarter lead before a couple of late Lions touchdowns made the game closer.

The uneven ending didn’t thrill defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade.

“We needed one,” he said. “Sometimes, the hardest one to get (is) the first one. We did enough to win and the most important thing is getting in the win column. But I think we finished the game poorly.”

The Stamps (1-2) played well until the endgame. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense sacked Nathan Rourke four times. Tyreik McAllister returned a punt 90 yards in the fourth quarter for a game-sealing touchdown.

They might need four quarters of consistency instead of three against Toronto (2-1), which logged a statement win Friday night with a 40-34 decision in Saskatchewan. Chad Kelly threw for 321 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, including one on the ground.

In three games, Kelly has thrown for 1,190 yards and a league-high nine touchdowns. Calgary coach Dave Dickenson hopes his defense can force some mistakes from Kelly, who tossed four interceptions two weeks ago in Ottawa.

“I’d like to see us get as many turnovers as possible,” Dickenson said.

The Argos’ defense gave up a lot of yardage, but did make the necessary plays to keep the Roughriders in check. One was the interception by Tarvarus McFadden in the end zone that turned a potential Saskatchewan touchdown into a field goal drive — a 10-point swing that might have made the difference.

“We can get a lot better,” McFadden said of a defense yielding 31.7 ppg. “We’ve got a lot more to do.”

–Field Level Media