SOCCER: Belgium's 'remontada' against Senegal can spark improvement, Garcia says

SEATTLE — Belgium produced a remarkable late comeback to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time on Wednesday, earning a place in the FIFA World Cup round of 16 and drawing praise from coach Rudi Garcia, who said the victory could strengthen his team's belief for the rest of the tournament.

Trailing 2-0 in the 83rd minute, Belgium looked headed for an early exit before record scorer Romelu Lukaku and captain Youri Tielemans scored late goals to force extra time.

After a tense extra period, Tielemans converted a penalty in the 125th minute to complete the dramatic comeback.

Garcia described the victory as a "remontada," a term associated with Barcelona's famous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2017 UEFA Champions League.

"Football is emotions, and tonight we experienced plenty of them," Garcia told reporters. "When you're down 2-0 in the 83rd minute, it's never easy to come back and win.

"But I told the players during the hydration break that we needed to score the third goal of the match, and then anything could happen. We did it, and it changed everything."

Garcia said the dramatic win could bring the squad even closer together and reinforce the belief that no match is over until the final whistle.

"This kind of scenario helps the group grow stronger and understand that anything is possible until the game ends," he said.

Belgium's so-called "golden generation" fell short of winning a major international title despite boasting a talented squad. While veterans such as Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Thibaut Courtois remain, Garcia acknowledged the current team may not have the same depth as previous Belgian sides.

Still, he believes the team has the quality to compete with anyone.

"I arrived 18 months ago because I believed in the quality of this team," Garcia said. "It's not the best Belgium team of all time, but tonight we made history.

"We haven't won anything yet. We've reached the round of 16, and we'll see who we face next. It doesn't matter who it is. For now, we're going to enjoy this victory and our comeback." -Reporting by Sam TobinEditing by Toby Davis/Reuters