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Belgium seemed almost certain to be going out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the Round of 32.
At the hour mark against Senegal, Belgium trailed 2-0, and they made the incredibly bold call to sub off both Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.
It wasn't waving the white flag, but it seemed hard to believe that taking off their top two playmakers would all of a sudden spark a comeback.
That's what happened, though.
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Belgium scored two goals in the final 15 minutes of regular time, then scored in stoppage time of the second half of extra time to eliminate Senegal, 3-2.
That pushed Belgium into a Round of 16 matchup with the United States on Monday night in Seattle, which will have tons of attention on it.
It also raised a fascinating question: Is there any universe where De Bruyne and Doku don't start?
The answer would seem to be no, but the thought experiment is one that wouldn't have seemed possible a week ago.
Then, for whatever reason, Belgium pulled off magic without either of them on the pitch.
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It'd be an even bolder call to put them on the bench to start, and it seems unlikely that the Red Devils would make that decision.
But it'll be worth watching if Belgium again starts slow. Would they, for the second match in a row, pull De Bruyne and Doku in hopes of a spark? And could that lightning really strike twice?
We'll find out on Monday night.
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