Belgium Came Back and Garcia Explained How They Exploited Senegal’s Weakness in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The Belgium coach noted that Senegal's retreat opened the door to the historic 3-2 comeback in extra time.

Belgium secured the pass.

In Kansas City, the Belgian national team staged one of the most stunning comebacks of the 2026 World Cup by overturning a 0-2 deficit against Senegal and ultimately winning 3-2 in extra time. The victory not only meant advancing to the next round but also sparked a debate about the tactical reading of the match made by coach Rudi Garcia.

The mistake of Senegal

The French coach, in a dialogue with RTBF, was emphatic in pointing out the turning point: "When you are 2-0 up, and you fall back, it's a mistake. Upon conceding the 2-1, the match changed completely." For Garcia, Senegal's decision to pull back to protect their lead was the door that allowed Belgium to get back into the game.

Later, at a press conference, he sought to clarify his words and explained that it was not a direct criticism of the opponent, but a general analysis of how a game changes when a team decides to protect its lead too much. "Senegal deserved to advance just as much as we did. When we made it 2-1, the match changed its soul. In extra time, it was like a boxing match," he expressed in a conciliatory tone.

Belgium and the last-minute penalty

Garcia insisted that the first goal was the turning point and acknowledged the fairness of the penalty in extra time. "I'm happy because we came back from very far," he added, highlighting his team's resilience.

In general, the coach was referring to the fact that when a team protects itself too much, it runs the risk of losing control of the game. The Belgian comeback was proof of this, and he expressed satisfaction with the team's qualification.