The penalty awarded against the Senegalese national team in the final moments of their match against Belgium on Wednesday caused widespread controversy after it led to their elimination from the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, in a harsh turn of events that saw the “Lions of Teranga” go from leading 2-0 to losing 3-2.

FT (AET): 🇧🇪 Belgium 3-2 Senegal 🇸🇳

Late penalty in extra time seals it! Belgium are through to the Round of 16 at Senegal’s expense. #FIFAWorldCup | #beINWC26 | #Belgiumpic.twitter.com/SOBSUNSIdG

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) July 1, 2026

Honduran referee Said Martinez awarded a penalty kick at the end of the second period of extra time, after a VAR review, following a challenge by Senegal’s Lamine Camara on Belgian captain Youri Tielemans, with the score tied 2-2 and the match heading towards a penalty shootout.

GOAL!

Nerves of steel from Tielemans as he scores from the penalty spot to surely send Belgium through to the Round of 16! 🔥⚽

🇧🇪 Belgium 3-2 Senegal 🇸🇳#FIFAWorldCup | #beINWC26 | #Belgiumpic.twitter.com/CrQMYZlAhX

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) July 1, 2026

The “Archivo VAR” platform, which specialises in analysing refereeing decisions, said that VAR intervened excessively during the match, confirming that it was Tielemans who extended his foot in front of Camara, causing the contact.

The platform added, via its account on “X,” that the incident did not warrant VAR intervention, explaining that it was the Belgian player who forced the contact entirely, and that the situation did not amount to the clear and obvious error needed to justify the referee reviewing the decision.

The decision triggered a wave of controversy on social media, with one fan writing: “This is 100% robbery. Senegal have been robbed. How is this a penalty? Belgium do not deserve to go through corruption.”

This is 100% a robbery senegal have been robbed how is this a penalty???? Belgium do not deserve to go through corruption https://t.co/ykILb8NnBG

— Danis (@DanisMCFC) July 1, 2026

Sports content creator Sneako blamed the result on match ‘”rigging”.

“Rigged! Senegal should storm the pitch right now. Leave the pitch and go home. This is rigged!”

SNEAKO calls out FIFA for RIGGING the Belgium vs. Senegal knockout game after the referee awarded Belgium a penalty in the VERY LAST minute, eliminating Senegal from the World Cup 😳💔

"Rigged! Senegal should storm the pitch right now. Leave the pitch and go home. This is… pic.twitter.com/Yk3OE7iRD6

— Daily SNEAKO (@dailysneako) July 1, 2026

Another sports fan wrote: “I’m sorry, but this was never a penalty. Camara went to clear the ball, but it was Tielemans who got in his way. Senegal was robbed, and it should have been Belgium going out.”

Spanish sports journalist Manolo Lama commented: “They stole the Africa Cup of Nations from them, and now they’re stealing all the solidarity with Senegal at the World Cup too.”

Egyptian journalist Mohamed Saeed linked the incident to what happened in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, writing: “You can feel that the penalty awarded against Senegal in the final seconds was a harsh lesson and a difficult test. After the scenes from the Africa Cup of Nations final, I think that if it weren’t for the change in the rules around the withdrawal incident, this scene could have repeated itself.”

Another sports fan, Fares Ahmed, wrote that football ”teaches lessons” and the outcome brought back the memory of Senegal at the tournament in Morocco.

“They took advantage of the tournament’s vulnerable position and the host’s need to make it a success, and used that to impose their pressure,” Ahmed wrote. “Today, the scene was almost repeated against Belgium — a penalty in the final minutes, objections, and disbelief over the decision — but this time there was no threat of withdrawal, because you can’t risk penalties like that in a tournament the size of the World Cup.”

Drawing a connection between the two events, one follower wrote on “X”: “When there was a clear penalty in the Morocco final, they rebelled against the decision and tarnished the reputation of African football, just because the tournament was in Morocco. But when an unclear penalty came along that eliminated them from the World Cup, they stayed silent, because this time it was in the West.”

After the dramatic penalty was awarded, Tielemans stepped up to take it and scored successfully, netting Belgium’s third goal and capping off an unexpected comeback that eliminated the Lions of Teranga.

But back on the pitch, Senegal had the run of play for 85 minutes. The African team held a two-goal lead, and had all but secured a spot in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Within five minutes, it crumbled and the players were feeling it.

“We were at the heart of writing the beautiful pages of the history of our football in this world,” defender Krepin Diatta said. “And we have to accept that we failed at our mission.”

Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra said. “We had a good first half, but it wasn’t enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we’re devastated. It’s very tough. I don’t know what to say. When you’re on the pitch, you have to give your all, and that’s not what we did. We’ve only got ourselves to blame.”

Novak Djokovic produced a Wimbledon masterclass as the history-chasing star raced into the third round on Wednesday, while defending champion Jannik Sinner battled through before French Open champion Mirra Andreeva suffered a shock exit.

Djokovic demolished Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 98-minute rout that served as a statement of intent to Sinner and the rest of his Wimbledon title rivals.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, hitting 33 winners and making just seven unforced errors.

Djokovic's latest attempt to make history by winning a record 25th Grand Slam singles title got off to a rocky start as he laboured against unheralded Wu Yibing in the first round on Monday.

Bidding to become the oldest man to win a major title in the Open era, Djokovic -- who won the most recent of his Wimbledon crowns in 2022 -- has increasingly looked his age over the last two Grand Slams.

The 39-year-old Serb crashed out in the French Open third round, blowing a two-set lead against Joao Fonseca.

But Djokovic underlined his enduring class with his latest win against Greek world number 87 Tsitsipas, who has now lost their last 12 meetings.

Djokovic's 104th match win at Wimbledon leaves him just one behind Roger Federer's Open era record in the men's singles.

He plays French 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech in the last 32.

"I'm feeling great. I like the terminology 'vintage', it brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you're playing this way," said Djokovic after being asked if it was a vintage performance.

Sinner wasn't at his best again but the world number one did just enough to beat Portugual's Nuno Borges 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.

The 24-year-old Italian had narrowly avoided an embarrassing first-round exit when he fought back from two sets to one down to beat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday.

The four-time Grand Slam champion ended Carlos Alcaraz's two-year reign as Wimbledon champion with a brilliant final victory over the Spaniard last year.

He was still some way from those lofty heights against spirited world number 48 Borges.

Next up for Sinner is a third-round tie against American world number 81 Jenson Brooksby.

"There's a couple of things I need to improve. I felt some moments where I still need to get back to this rhythm," Sinner said.

- Andreeva out early -

Andreeva arrived at the All England Club hailed as one of the sport's rising stars after winning her maiden Grand Slam crown in Paris in June.

But the Russian teenager was unable to maintain the momentum from Roland Garros as Barbora Krejcikova recaptured the magic that inspired her unexpected Wimbledon title triumph two years ago.

The 30-year-old Czech, who also won the French Open in 2021, fought back for a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

"What a match! It's always been a huge fight against Mirra. I'm extremely proud I managed to win on this beautiful Centre Court, the best court in the world," Krejcikova said.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka survived a tough second set to dispatch American McCartney Kessler.

The four-time Grand Slam champion won 6-1, 7-6 (11/9), securing a last-32 meeting with former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko.

"That was a true battle and I'm super happy that I was able to stay in that second set," said Sabalenka.

Sabalenka has never won Wimbledon, losing in the semi-finals on each of her past three visits.

Serena Williams' Wimbledon comeback is in jeopardy after the American legend suffered a knee injury in her singles defeat to Maya Joint on Tuesday.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is due to play in the doubles with sister Venus later this week on her comeback after four years in retirement.

The 44-year-old's agent said Serena "is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match".

Japan's Naomi Osaka, seventh seed Coco Gauff and fourth seed Jessica Pegula all advanced.

smg/jc

At Wimbledon, stewards in military uniforms are a common sight in the walkways and even on courts, as hundreds of armed forces members volunteer in a tradition dating back eight decades.

Active personnel from the army, navy and air force have been helping out annually since the aftermath of World War II, with the arrangement a quintessential part of the world's oldest tennis championships.

This year they number around 500 -- featuring as many women as men -- and take care of everything from checking tickets and guiding spectators to their seats to ensuring that peace and quiet prevails on-court. 

Dave McGarr, 48, an army captain who has served in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Sierra Leone, has been offering his services at Wimbledon for 13 years and is now one of two officers overseeing the stewarding operation. 

"I like the excitement," he told AFP, as the only grass court grand slam tournament got underway this week in southwest London.

"When the grounds start to fill up, you can hear the buzz and everyone's getting excited," he added.

Alongside their formal roles, the legions of military stewards also obligingly take hundreds of photos for guests immortalising their day at the hallowed championships. 

Their only weapons here: politeness and a smile.

The stewarding tradition began as Britain emerged from WWII. 

Military personnel helped secure the Wimbledon site after it was bombed during the conflict, and in 1946 organisers invited them back for the tournament's resumption, McGarr explained.

It was "to say thank you, essentially, and then it's just continued ever since," he said. "Now, it's part of the fabric."

- 'Good mood' -

Daniel Thornton, who serves in the Royal Navy, is volunteering at Wimbledon for the first time.

"I loved it," the 42-year-old said after his first day at the tennis. "Everyone's in a good mood."

The military stewards must use annual leave days, but Thornton  -- who only joined the armed forces three years ago -- had no issue using up two weeks on the experience. 

He has watched tennis on television since childhood but had never set foot inside Wimbledon's grounds. 

He manned Centre Court on Monday as Serbia's Novak Djokovic won in four sets. A day later, Thornton was back on the celebrated court for the remarkable comeback of American legend Serena Williams.  

For Thornton, the excited crowds are among the highlights, noting that as a naval serviceman "you don't interact on a daily basis" with people to anywhere near the same extent.

For McGarr, his supervisory role sees him mainly in an office these days, but he has plenty of good memories from the courts. 

"I was part of the Centre Court core intrusion team, which is like the only people who (are) allowed on the court apart from the players," he recalled. 

Responsible for ensuring nobody intrudes onto the grass, "you're on the TV a lot," he explained, remembering his phone would constantly buzz with messages "because everyone can see you on national TV". London

Every year, Wimbledon marks Armed Forces Day -- which takes place on the last Saturday each June -- with the Centre Court crowd giving the military stewards a standing ovation before the day's first match. 

"The cameras pan round all the service personnel and it gives you goosebumps actually when everyone's clapping and cheering," said McGarr. "Even the royal box."

ctx/jj/tw/ane

BYD sales are up 141.4% across Europe, the brand outsells Ford for the first time.

According to Dataforce, the European new car market (EU+EFTA+UK) edges up 3.4% year-on-year in May to 1,130,916 units, leading to a year-to-date tally up 4.4% after 5 months to 5,818,184. ACEA has the market up 3.6% to 1,152,523 for the month and up 4.5% to 5,824,814 year-to-date. Once again Chinese manufacturers deliver the performance of the month, doubling their share YoY with sales up 105.3% to 111,636 and 9.9% share vs. 5% a year ago in May 2025. As a reminder, in May 2025 these carmakers were already up 111% on the year prior so we are really witnessing a long term surge. Among the Top 5 markets, Italy performs best at +7.6%, followed by the UK at +7.1% and France at +3.7%. Germany (+0.1%) is stable as is Spain (-0.8%). Looking at all countries, Malta (+52.7%) is the best performer, followed by Ireland (+38.1%), Estonia (+33.5%) and Slovenia (+20.2%). At the other end of the stick we have Iceland (-27.3%), Latvia (-6.5%) and Slovakia (-6.3%). 

In May BEVs continue to gain significant ground at +39.1% year-on-year to 268,487 and 23.3% share vs. 17.4% a year ago. Meanwhile PHEVs command 10.7% of the market vs. 9.8% in May 2025 thanks to sales up 13.2% to 123,339. Year-to-date, BEVs are up 31.2% to 1,247,545 and 21.4% share vs. 17.1% over the first 5 months of 2025. In terms of BEV volume, Germany dominates at 59,969 (+39.3%), followed by the UK at 43,931 (+34.2%), France at 37,412 (+92.7%), Norway at 15,210 (+13.6%), Denmark at 15,020 (+37.3%) and Italy at 13,274 (+86.5%). As for BEV market share, unsurprisingly Norway is the champion at 97.8%, ahead of Denmark (78.7%), Iceland (51%), Finland (48.8%), the Netherlands (41.3%), Sweden (41.2%), Belgium (37.4%) and Malta (36.4%). France is at 29.1%, the UK at 27.3%, Germany at 25%, Spain at 10.8% and Italy at 8.8%. Having not yet warmed to the charms of BEVs are Croatia (3.4%), Poland (4.1%), Estonia (5.1%), Latvia (5.2%) and Greece (5.9%).

The Dacia Sandero returns to the YTD pole position.

In the OEM ranking, the VW Group (-2.5%) slides slightly to just under 300,000 units. It is followed by Stellantis (-2.2%) performing similarly and Renault Group (-0.5%), stable. The BMW Group (+4.3%) is the only gainer in the Top 7, accessing to #4 vs. #5 year-to-date. Hyundai-Kia (-10.3%) suffers at #5, as the Toyota Group (-1.7%) and Mercedes (-4.6%) disappoint. In contrast the Geely Group is up 7.9% to #8 while BYD (+141.4%) spectacularly breaks into the Top 10 for the first time at #9. Chery (+243.2%), Tesla (+99.2%) and SAIC Motor (+15.2%) also shine below.

Looking at brands, the Top 4 are all in negative. Volkswagen (-3.7%) endures the largest loss, with Skoda (-0.9%), Toyota (-1%) and BMW (-1.6%) also down but containing their fall. Notably Skoda affirms its newfound ranking at #2 above Toyota, a position it has now held for the past 4 consecutive months. Renault (+0.6%) is stable while Audi (+4%) outpaces the overall market – just. The rest of the Top 11 falls, with Hyundai (-19.3%) and Peugeot (-12%) hit the hardest, Mercedes (-4.6%) and Dacia (-3%) disappointing and Kia (-0.8%) stable. Opel (+5.1%) is encouraging but the biggest lifts are below. BYD (+141.4%) shoots up to a record 13th place and 2.8% of the market. It is now the best-selling Chinese carmaker in the region, outselling MG (+15.3%) for the first time. BYD also overtakes Ford (-27.1%) for the first time and Citroen (-1.7%) for the 2nd time after last December.

The Tesla Model Y is up 68.2% to third place.

Model-wise, the Dacia Sandero (+0.8%) repeats at #1 for a clear win almost 2,300 sales more than any other nameplate in the region. As always its market mix is relatively balanced across Southern Europe, with 30% of its May volume coming from France, 22% from Italy and 16% from Spain. By the same token, the Sandero also reclaims the lead year-to-date, a ranking it also held over the Full Year 2025. Down to #2 year-to-date is the Renault Clio (-30.6%) down to #8 for the month due to a mediocre result at home in France which accounts for 36% of its May sales. In 2nd place this month is the VW T-Roc (-5.7%) with 37% from Germany. The Tesla Model Y (+68.2%) surges to third place and is strong in most markets, 23% coming from France, 18% from Norway and 14% from Germany. The VW Golf (+6%) is solid at #4 with 42% coming from home in Germany.

Previous month: Europe April 2026: Chinese (+124.5%) help prop market up 6.4%

One year ago: Europe May 2025: BEVs up 28%, Chinese up 111%, Renault Clio repeats at #1

Full May 2025 Top 15 OEMs, Top 83 All brands and Top 598 All models below.

Europe May 2026 – OEMs:

Europe May 2026 – brands:

Europe May 2026 – models:

Source: ACEA, Dataforce

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