SOCCER: Cruel end for Senegal in Seattle at World Cup

SEATTLE — Senegal national football team coach Pape Thiaw described football as a “cruel game” after his side suffered a dramatic late collapse and eventual 3-2 defeat to Belgium national football team following extra time in the FIFA World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday.

Senegal were minutes away from a commanding 2-0 victory when Belgium mounted a rapid comeback, scoring twice in three minutes to level the match before sealing the win through a late extra-time penalty converted by Youri Tielemans.

The result ended a match that Senegal had largely controlled, only to lose momentum in the closing stages of regular time and beyond.

Senegal entered the tournament amid controversy after being stripped of an Africa Cup of Nations title earlier in the year following a protest over a penalty decision in the final against Morocco, when players briefly left the field before later returning to complete the match.

On Wednesday, tensions resurfaced when Senegal players reacted strongly after Belgium were awarded a late penalty in extra time. The spot kick was given following a VAR review of Lamine Camara’s sliding challenge on Tielemans.

“We believed that there was no penalty,” Thiaw said. “The players tried to challenge the decision. It’s their right. And then the penalty was taken — and this is the reason why we are now eliminated.”

Thiaw added that the match slipped away after Senegal led 2-0 in the 85th minute. “However, a football match is not an 85-minute one. Belgium came back, and we were not able to deal with that.”

Senegal defender Krépin Diatta said his side lost focus after Belgium’s late surge.

“We were determined to write some beautiful pages in the history of our football in this World Cup, and we have to accept that we failed in this mission,” Diatta said. “Given what we offered, we shouldn’t have lost this match.”

Belgium will face the winner of the United States–Bosnia matchup in the quarterfinals. -Reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle, Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters