Senegal eliminated from World Cup after controversial late penalty

Senegal's World Cup dreams were shattered in the final minutes of extra time, succumbing to a 3-2 defeat against Belgium. The match took a dramatic turn in the 118th minute when a penalty was awarded to Belgium after a VAR review determined that Lamine Camara had fouled Youri Tielemans in the box.

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VAR is for correcting clear and serious errors, not for turning every tackle into an endless detailed investigation.

Senegalese forward Ismaila Sarr expressed strong dissatisfaction with the crucial penalty call. He argued that Tielemans had touched the ball and that Camara was merely performing his defensive duties. Sarr criticized the VAR system, suggesting it was being used to scrutinize every tackle rather than correct clear errors, and lamented that the decision erased their hard-fought efforts.

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We accept defeat, but not when the game is taken away like this.

"We accept defeat, but not when the game is taken away like this," Sarr stated. He added that if such contact was to be penalized with a penalty, defenders might as well stop tackling. "That's definitely not how football should be," he asserted. Senegal vowed to continue fighting, emphasizing their style of play, but stressed the importance of fairness in the sport.

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If this is to be a penalty, then defenders might as well stop tackling, because any possible contact will become a foul.