Senegal forward Sadio Mane could only look on from the touchline in horror as his nation lost its World Cup Round of 32 matchup to Belgium in heartbreaking fashion
01:02, 02 Jul 2026Updated 01:04, 02 Jul 2026
Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane played in his last ever World Cup match on Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)
Sadio Mane was subbed off in the 93rd minute for Nicolas Jackson in his side's stunning 3-2 Round of 32 World Cup loss to Belgium on Wednesday afternoon in Seattle.
Mane was far from at his best in four 2026 World Cup matches, failing to score while tallying a lone assist. He was regularly outshone by fellow attackers Ismaila Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye, and others in most matches. Before arriving on American soil, Mane announced that it would be his last major tournament playing for Senegal.
The former Liverpool attacker was on the pitch when Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored in the 86th and 99th minutes, respectively. He wasn't for almost all of the extra time, where all Mane could do was look on longingly from the bench.
It comes after Mane posted a touching gesture for ex-Reds teammate Mohamed Salah on Instagram.
Mane's facial expressions told all. At one point, he had his hands over his face. After Tielemans' game-winning penalty in the 125th minute, Mane's hands moved over his face in shock.
Tielemans's goal was the latest ever (124:44) scored in a World Cup match. His penalty was taken over eight minutes after the initial foul was committed.
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By and large, Senegal was the better team on the day. The reigning AFCON champions outdueled Belgoum on xG 3.79-1.85, a comfortable margin.
Mane is part of an aging core of players — alongside midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye (36), Kalidou Koulibaly (35), and Edouard Mendy (34) — likely playing in their last World Cup.
Sadio Mane
Mane couldn't believe that Belgium was awarded a late penalty(Image: X/FOX)
Mane is by far Senegal's top international scorer: his 55 goals are 26 more than Henri Camara in second place. He finished second in the 2022 Ballon d'Or race after winning AFCON and leading Liverpool within two games of a quadruple before transferring to Bayern Munich.
He earned Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2026 and urged his side to remain on the field after a controversial penalty was awarded late in the final against Morocco.
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Mane was tasked with speaking on behalf of his national team after the match. "Football is something special, the world was watching, the world loves football, and I think football is a pleasure, so we have to give a good image for football," the ex-Liverpool man explained.
"I think it would be crazy to not play this game because what, the referee gave a penalty and we go out of the game? I think that would be the worst thing, especially in African football. I'd rather lose than this kind of thing happen to our football.
"I think it's really bad. Football should not stop for even ten minutes, but what can we do? We have to accept that we did but the good thing is that we came back and we played the game, and what happened happened."