Senegal's World Cup campaign came to a bitter end on Wednesday as they lost 3-2 to Belgium in the round of 32, following a highly disputed penalty awarded in the final moments of extra time. The Lions of Teranga had been leading 2-0 but saw their advantage slip away.

Honduran referee Said Martinez pointed to the spot after a VAR review, penalizing Senegalese defender Lamine Camara for a challenge on Belgian captain Youri Tielemans. The score was tied 2-2 at the time, and the match appeared destined for a penalty shootout.

The "Archivo VAR" platform, which specializes in analyzing refereeing decisions, stated that VAR intervened excessively. According to them, it was Tielemans who extended his foot into Camara's path, causing the contact. The incident did not meet the threshold of a clear and obvious error, they argued.

Social media erupted in outrage. One fan wrote: "This is 100% robbery. Senegal have been robbed. How is this a penalty? Belgium do not deserve to go through corruption." Sports content creator Sneako blamed the result on match "rigging."

Senegalese defender Krepin Diatta said: "We were at the heart of writing the beautiful pages of the history of our football in this world. And we have to accept that we failed at our mission." Midfielder Habib Diarra added: "We had a good first half, but it wasn't enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we're devastated. We've only got ourselves to blame."

Egyptian journalist Mohamed Saeed linked the incident to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, writing: "You can feel that the penalty awarded against Senegal in the final seconds was a harsh lesson." Another fan commented: "When there was a clear penalty in the Morocco final, they rebelled against the decision and tarnished the reputation of African football. But when an unclear penalty came along that eliminated them from the World Cup, they stayed silent, because this time it was in the West."

Source: www.aljazeera.com