How Lukaku played peacemaker and saviour for Belgium

Two goals to the good until the 86^th minute and Senegal looked home and dry against Belgium in the Round of 32 clash on Wednesday. For much of the afternoon, it seemed the curtain was about to fall on the last remnants of Belgium's golden generation – Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and perhaps goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – who helped lead the country to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.

There was confusion and angst among the Red Devils players, who seemed at their wit’s end against the resolute Africans. And as Belgium hurtled towards elimination, frustration boiled over among the players, with captain Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard getting into a heated confrontation before the second hydration break.

Lukaku, who had come on as a substitute in the second half, stepped in to calm tempers. Belgium’s greatest goalscorer was seen separating the two players on the pitch. Ironically, all three players at the centre of this incident would later combine to script Belgium's great escape.

Lukaku sparked the comeback by pulling one back in the 86th minute, coincidentally the same time he got his first goal at this World Cup in the group stage against New Zealand. Just three minutes later, Trossard delivered a teasing cross into the penalty area, where Tielemans rose to head home the equaliser and force extra time, completing an extraordinary turnaround in regulation.

Tielemans then held his nerve to convert a penalty in the 125th minute and send Belgium into the last 16. His winning penalty broke the previous timeline records for late game-winners, becoming the latest goal ever scored in FIFA World Cup history. The Aston Villa player faced a lengthy delay before taking the kick as Senegal players surrounded the spot, but he calmly dispatched his effort to cap an improbable turnaround.

The win for Belgium marked the second time in the last 11 World Cups that a team trailed by two or more goals in the knockout round and advanced. Belgium also did so in a 3-2 victory over Japan in the round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.

For Lukaku, it was another glorious chapter added to his already remarkable career for his country and the various top clubs that he has played in. He has a record 92 goals in just 130 matches for Belgium and while his fitness is a cause for concern at 33 years of age – the striker has been limited to barely an hour's play with Napoli this season – his towering presence around the penalty area is still enough to send shivers down opponents’ spines.