Romelu Lukaku had to calm down feuding teammates on the pitch. The coach's reaction was surprising

Youri Tielemans emerged as the hero of a thrilling encounter, converting a penalty in the 125th minute to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory. His goal propelled Belgium into the World Cup Round of 16, where they will face the host nation, the United States. Earlier in the match, Tielemans was involved in a heated exchange with teammate Leandro Trossard, an incident their coach viewed positively.

“Romelu Lukaku calmed them both down a bit. But I like it. It means we have a lively team. Players have the right to disagree and speak up. Leandro and Youri are two very important players for the Belgian squad. They wanted to win so badly that I don't even know why they were arguing.

I want players who are willing to make changes when things aren't going well. We need the right courage on the field. When I took over this team 18 months ago, they played well with the ball, but they weren't aggressive enough defensively and neglected challenges. We wouldn't have achieved any results that way,” explained Rudi Garcia.

After the match, Tielemans also commented on the incident, holding no grudges against his teammate. “It's the emotions of the moment. We are all winners, we want to win, do things right, and represent our country in the best possible way. This is part of it. Nothing happened, it's simply part of the game,” said the 29-year-old midfielder.

The match-winner converted the penalty deep into extra time. Romelu Lukaku was originally slated to take it, but the striker stated after the game that he didn't feel mentally ready. He therefore decided to entrust the responsibility to Tielemans, who had also scored the equalizer to make it 2-2 late in the second half. Lukaku, coming on as a substitute, had previously put Belgium up 2-1.