For an hour this was Senegal's masterpiece. Habib Diarra struck in the twenty fourth minute, Ismaila Sarr doubled it in the fifty first, and the Lions of Teranga were outplaying Belgium's much-hyped, chronically underachieving golden generation. Two goals up, in control, one of the tournament's great upsets sitting right there for the taking.

Then Belgium did the thing they so rarely do when it matters: they refused to die. Substitute Romelu Lukaku pulled one back in the eighty sixth minute, Youri Tielemans equalized just three minutes later, and a game Senegal had bossed was suddenly level and lurching into extra time. Momentum, that fickle thing, had completely switched sides.

And it ended in controversy, because of course it did. Deep into extra time, in the one hundred twenty fifth minute, Tielemans stepped up and converted a contentious penalty to complete a 3-2 comeback and send Belgium into the Round of 16. Senegal were the better team for most of the night and are on a plane home. Belgium were second best for an hour and are still dreaming. Sally has notes on the justice of it, and none on the drama.