Belgium stars Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans had to be separated by Romelu Lukaku during a heated exchange in their World Cup clash against Senegal, before the Arsenal and Aston Villa men combined for a dramatic late equaliser to force extra time.
Incident Sparks Tensions
The incident occurred midway through the second half with Belgium trailing 2-0 after goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. Trossard and Tielemans were visibly annoyed with one another, exchanging words after a dangerous delivery from Tielemans to the far post went unclaimed by any Belgium player. Lukaku stood motionless in the box, while Trossard and Tielemans argued. Substitute Nicolas Raskin, who had just replaced Kevin De Bruyne, stepped in to separate the pair as they left the pitch, with Lukaku acting as a peacemaker to push them apart.
Dramatic Comeback
The clash seemed to spark Belgium into life. In the 86th minute, substitute Thomas Meunier hooked a loose ball to Lukaku at the front post, and the Napoli forward calmly finished past Senegal goalkeeper Diaw. With four minutes left, Trossard hung a looping cross to the far post, and Tielemans rose highest to power a header into the net, beating Diaw to equalise. The two Premier League stars hugged and smiled as they made their way back to the halfway line, burying the hatchet after their earlier clash.
Match Context
Belgium, who finished third in the 2018 World Cup, looked off the pace against a Senegal side ranked lower in FIFA's world rankings. The comeback forced the game into extra time, keeping Belgium's hopes alive in the tournament.
