The Latest Goal in World Cup History — and the Penalty Roy Keane Couldn’t Stomach
Available in USSome of you were asleep. The rest of you are still arguing about it. Belgium’s win over Senegal on Tuesday night didn’t just produce the latest goal ever scored in a men’s World Cup — it produced a refereeing decision that had two of the sharpest pundits on Irish and British screens shaking their heads in disbelief. If you back a bet on the strength of a late VAR call, this one’s worth reading. Here’s what happened, and why Cork’s own Roy Keane wasn’t having it.
From 2-0 down to the history books
Senegal were cruising. Habib Diarra put them ahead on 25 minutes, Ismaïla Sarr made it two on 51, and with five minutes of normal time left they were as good as through. Then it fell apart. Romelu Lukaku pulled one back on 86, Youri Tielemans levelled on 89 to force extra time, and deep, deep into it — the clock reading 124:44, or 120 minutes plus five — Tielemans stepped up and buried a penalty to win it.
That goal is now officially the latest ever scored in a men’s World Cup. It also completed the latest a side has trailed by two goals in normal time and still avoided defeat at a World Cup. Belgium, all but buried, are into the last 16 to face the USA on 6 July.
The penalty that split the room
Here’s the rub: the spot-kick was awarded only after the longest VAR review of the tournament, and plenty of good judges thought it was never a penalty. On Sky Sports, Gary Neville was blunt: "I genuinely don’t believe that’s a penalty," he said, adding, "I don’t think it’s a penalty on the bar that’s been set in this tournament."
Alongside him, Roy Keane — never a man to dress up an opinion — was just as unimpressed. "It’s very, very harsh," the Corkman said, before putting his finger on what bothered him most about the process: "You want conviction in the referee’s decision, and he was certainly hesitating a long time."
What it means for the punter
Two lessons for anyone betting the knockouts. First, extra-time and penalty markets are live right to the death now — this tournament has already served up shoot-out exits for Germany and the Netherlands, and now the latest goal in its history. Second, a result that flatters the winner can flatter their price: Belgium survived rather than dominated, yet remain 35/1 on the outright (as of the morning of 2 July 2026, converted to fractional), and now lose momentum into a last-16 tie against a USA side of their own. Back them at your peril.
Why Irish fans care
We don’t have a team in this, but we have Roy Keane in the studio, and there’s a certain national satisfaction in watching him call a soft VAR penalty exactly what it is. Nights like Tuesday are why the World Cup still owns the summer over here — drama, history and a proper row to chew over the next morning. The full 1 July results are in our matchday recap, and the Belgium page tracks where they go next.
Odds shown are converted to fractional format for Irish bookmakers and were accurate as of the timestamp noted; always check the live price before betting. 18+, gamble responsibly.
