Belgium vs Senegal Match Report

By Henry Hanson

Lovely football sets Mane away

Gosh, Senegal is looking great right now, putting together some really attractive moves and passing in neat, evolving triangles.

Sadio Mane is played in after a give and go on the edge of the penalty area, and has a chance to get a shot away.

His effort is on target, but it's an easy save for Thibaut Courtois.

We're back from the break

And we're treated to another one straightaway, with play stopped as an intruder enters the field.

The cameras pan away, and the commentators don't elaborate on who exactly found their way onto the pitch, but the players look unbothered.

Eventually, play continues.

Jeremy Doku goes down within touching distance of the Senegal penalty area — he wants a foul but the referee has no sympathy.

We're off for a drink

Senegal good value for their 1-0 lead at quarter-time in Seattle.

Senegal leads! Great team goal!

It's a lovely passage of play from Senegal, who make their way up field with a fluid passing move, pulling Belgium from left to right.

Eventually, a ball is worked into the penalty area, and a firm, low header crashes into the frame of the goal.

Habib Diarra is on hand for the rebound, tapping the ball home to give the Lions of Teranga a well-deserved first-half lead.

De Bruyne skies one

Kevin de Bruyne is charging towards the penalty area and the Senegalese defence is backing off.

There are few players in world football you'd rather have on the ball in a situation such as this.

But it's an uncharacteristically poor choice of action from De Bruyne, who, with players to his left and right, blazes his long-range shot well over the crossbar.

Chaotic scenes as Sarr makes an absolute meal of things

Ismaïla Sarr with a bit of a clanger.

Thibaut Courtois is unable to cleanly gather a probing Senegalese cross, with the Belgian goalkeeper falling over as he brushes the ball into the path of Sarr on the edge of the six-yard box.

The goal is gaping but Sarr can't get the ball under his spell, deflecting it onto the post from point blank range and then falling over himself as he puts the rebound into the side netting.

A first Belgium shot

Leandro Trossard intercepts a loose ball in midfield and Belgium springs forward.

The ball is worked out to the left, where Charles De Ketelaere is attempting but failing to get a shot away.

The ball falls to Trossard who manufactures some room and tests Senegal shot stopper Mory Diaw from the edge of the penalty area.

He hits his shot first time and gets some purchase on it, but Diaw is comfortable in making a low save.

Early Senegal pressure

Senegal has settled the quicker of the two sides and is enjoying some good possession in the Belgian half.

Sadio Mané has had a couple chances to stretch his legs down the left, but it is Iliman Ndiaye who is the first to really threaten the Belgium penalty area.

He glides past a couple challenges and shapes for an effort, but is unable to get his shot away.

And we're away!

A packed Seattle Stadium excitedly counts down to one, the referee blows his whistle, and we're off and away.

The Belgium Red Devils are wearing their pale change strip today, and they kick us off, with central defender Arthur Theate receiving the ball and hoofing it forward.

Play not far off in Seattle

The players have wandered out onto the field in Seattle, and it looks to be a lovely afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.

The sun beats down as the formalities get underway.

How Belgium and Senegal progressed in North America

Senegal only picked up one group stage victory, but it was a convincing one, with the Lions of Teranga dispatching of Iraq 5-0 on matchday three.

That came after good showings in defeats to France and Norway, and was enough to see them progress as one of the best third-placed sides.

Belgium topped their group, but didn't look entirely convincing until defeating New Zealand 5-1 to conclude their first round.

That came after uninspiring draws with both Iran and Egypt.

Belgium hoping to emulate 2018 success

AP

By advancing to the knockout round atop Group G, Belgium has already improved upon its woeful performance at the World Cup four years ago.

After a historic third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Belgium did not advance past the group stage in Qatar.

With its 5-1 victory over New Zealand on Friday night, Belgium has already achieved what coach Rudi Garcia expected at the bare minimum from his team.

Ahead of Wednesday’s knockout round match against Senegal, Garcia expressed satisfaction, as well as desire for more. Belgium won one game and played to two draws in group play.

“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” Garcia said in French.

“Of course we wanted to win more — we know the story of our World Cup so far. Now it is time for the knockout phase. Senegal is a big team. But, you have to beat them, too, if you want to go far in a World Cup.”

Three changes for Senegal

Senegal manager Pape Thiaw makes three changes to the side that defeated Iraq 5-0 in the Lions of Teranga's final group game.

Pathé Ciss comes into the centre of defence, Pape Gueye into midfield and Iliman Ndiaye into the forward line.

Everton's Ndiaye completes a really frightening Senegalese front three, lining up alongside Liverpool legend Sadio Mané and Crystal Palace livewire Ismaïla Sarr.

Belgium unchanged for Senegal clash

With what is surely the best team news post of the World Cup to date, Belgium announces the same line-up as the one that made light work of New Zealand in their final group game.

Leandro Trossard scored a brace in that 5-1 win, and he will again start on the right, with Kevin de Bruyne on his inside, and Jeremy Doku to the left of him.

Romelu Lukaku once again starts as a substitute, as does Alexis Saelemaekers.

Both forwards came off the bench to score in that Kiwi drubbing.

We turn our attention to Seattle

The second game of today is fast approaching, with Belgium and Senegal currently warming up in Seattle.

Play begins in about 25 minutes, at 6am AEST.

Don't think this fella was ready to head home

Pure joy in the stands at Atlanta Stadium as the England faithful start planning their journey down to Mexico.

Kane one goal from another England record

Well, he came into the tournament as England's greatest ever goalscorer and Harry Kane will leave it as his country's most prolific World Cup striker.

He now has five goals in North America, bringing his overall World Cup tally to 13.

That's three goals ahead of Gary Lineker, who is England's next best on 10.

Kane is also now just one goal away from equalling Lineker's knockout-round tally of six.

How that Kane double strike impacts the golden boot race

Here's how the golden boot standings look after Harry Kane's latest World Cup brace:

6 goals: Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi

5 goals: Harry Kane and Erling Haaland

4 goals: Vini Junior and Ousmane Dembele

3 goals: 11 players

With the tournament's six highest scoring all having the potential to play four more games, Just Fontaine's longstanding record of 13 single-tournament goals may well be under threat.