That is the kind of sequence that tends to make fans type in capital letters. This one did not disappoint.
Why did the VAR decision cause such anger?
The football refereeing analysis platform Archivo VAR argued that VAR should have stayed out of it. In its assessment, VAR became too involved in the match and the Tielemans-Camara incident did not meet the standard for overturning or re-examining the original decision.
According to Archivo VAR, Tielemans extended his foot into Camara’s path, creating the contact rather than being the victim of a foul. The platform said the situation did not amount to a “clear and obvious” error, the threshold generally used to justify a VAR intervention.
That point became the core of the dispute: not simply whether there was contact, but who initiated it and whether the referee had missed something obvious enough to require a second look.
The distinction matters. VAR is supposed to correct major errors, not relitigate every collision in a crowded penalty area. In this case, critics saw the review as VAR inserting itself at the worst possible moment.
How did fans and commentators react?
The decision quickly spread across social media, where calm legal analysis and emotional overreaction often share the same screen. Many Senegal supporters and neutral viewers framed the call as unjust.
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 was even more direct, blaming the result on alleged match “rigging.”
“Rigged! Senegal should storm the pitch right now. Leave the pitch and go home. This is rigged!” he wrote.
Another supporter argued that Camara was trying to clear the ball and that Tielemans had moved into his path: “I’m sorry, but this was never a penalty. Camara went to clear the ball, but it was Tielemans who got in his way. Senegal was robbed, and it should have been Belgium going out.”
Spanish sports journalist Manolo Lama also weighed in, writing: “They stole the Africa Cup of Nations from them, and now they’re stealing all the solidarity with Senegal at the World Cup too.”
Why are people comparing it to the Africa Cup of Nations?
The controversy also revived discussion of Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco. Egyptian journalist Mohamed Saeed linked the World Cup incident to that earlier dispute, suggesting the late penalty against Belgium was a difficult test for Senegal after what had happened in the AFCON final.
“You can feel that the penalty awarded against Senegal in the final seconds was a harsh lesson and a difficult test,” Saeed wrote. “After the scenes from the Africa Cup of Nations final, I think that if it weren’t for the change in the rules around the withdrawal incident, this scene could have repeated itself.”
Another fan, Fares Ahmed, said the Belgium match brought back memories of Senegal’s conduct during the tournament in Morocco.
“They took advantage of the tournament’s vulnerable position and the host’s need to make it a success, and used that to impose their pressure,” Ahmed wrote. “Today, the scene was almost repeated against Belgium, a penalty in the final minutes, objections, and disbelief over the decision, but this time there was no threat of withdrawal, because you can’t risk penalties like that in a tournament the size of the World Cup.”
One follower on X made a similar comparison, arguing that Senegal reacted differently when the stage was the World Cup: “When there was a clear penalty in the Morocco final, they rebelled against the decision and tarnished the reputation of African football, just because the tournament was in Morocco. 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.”
Senegal players admit the collapse hurt
For all the debate around the penalty, Senegal’s players also pointed to their own failure to close out the match. The late call decided the result, but Belgium’s comeback had already started before Tielemans walked to the spot.
Defender Krépin Diatta said the squad had been close to a historic moment.
“We were at the heart of writing the beautiful pages of the history of our football in this world,” Diatta said. “And we have to accept that we failed at our mission.”
Midfielder Habib Diarra was blunt about the team’s drop-off after a strong opening period.
“We had a good first half, but it wasn’t enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we’re devastated. It’s very tough. I don’t know what to say. When you’re on the pitch, you have to give your all, and that’s not what we did. We’ve only got ourselves to blame.”
Belgium move on after sealing their comeback in the most combustible way available: a late VAR penalty. Senegal leave with a 2-0 lead lost, a round of 16 place gone, and a decision that will be replayed far longer than anyone involved probably wants.
