Romelu Lukaku wants to be considered one of the best strikers in the world and, by most metrics, he is. The 31-year-old has been a consistent scorer at every club he has played for and has had moments when he has appeared world-class.
Unfortunately, the Belgian is prone to performances like Monday’s against Slovakia, when he looked a long way short of that exalted level while his team surprisingly lost 1-0 in their opening Euro 2024 group game.
Domenico Tedesco’s side arrived at this tournament unbeaten in 14 matches (10 wins) and with an attacking plan catering to Lukaku’s strengths.
It nearly yielded a goal just three minutes in. Jeremy Doku skipped past three defenders to speed down the Belgian right wing before delivering a cross. Lukaku had to contort himself into an unbalanced position to get a shot away, leading to an effort that was too central and saved by Martin Dubravka.
Advertisement
This has been one of the core frustrations about Lukaku across his career; a striker skilled enough to provide his team with a good amount of shots per game, but lacking that certain something in the trickier moments.
No man has scored more goals for Belgium’s national team than Lukaku, who spent last season at Italy’s Roma on loan from Chelsea. Only Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has more international goals than him in men’s European competition. His scoring rate of 85 goals in 115 Belgium appearances makes him one of the most prolific goalscorers in the history of representative football.
Yet the striker fluffed his lines again yesterday when Yannick Carrasco floated a pass from the left flank towards him on the stroke of half-time. He was too slow to attack the ball as it approached and his first touch to try to set himself up for a shot was too heavy.
Belgium, who had been losing since Ivan Schranz’s goal in the seventh minute, needed Lukaku to attack this pass like he was one of the best strikers in the world. What they got was a series of poor touches that took the ball past Dubravka and the goalposts, eventually giving away a goal kick.
- Latest Euro 2024 news here
- Euro 2024 fixtures and schedule
- Euro 2024 team guides: Everything you need to know
Tedesco tried his best to address things at half-time. Doku and Leandro Trossard swapped flanks in the second half, with the Manchester City winger faring slightly better in partnership with Carrasco, aligned behind him. There was a greater impetus in getting the ball wide and beyond Slovakia’s high press.
Belgium have attacking threats other than Lukaku, but he remains important to everything they do in front of goal.
A short-corner routine in the 56th minute led to Arsenal’s Trossard crossing the ball towards Amadou Onana waiting at the back post. The Everton midfielder headed the ball back towards Lukaku, who had eked out some space in the six-yard box and poked it into the net. It was a well-worked set-piece routine but was ruled out because Lukaku was marginally offside when Onana’s header arrived.
Advertisement
After the goalscoring tragedy came the goalscoring farce.
In the 86th minute, Zeno Debast’s long pass down the left found second-half substitute Lois Openda. The 24-year-old RB Leipzig forward, who might one day take over Belgium’s goalscoring duties from Lukaku, beat Denis Vavro for pace before cutting the ball back for his waiting striker. Lukaku’s finish was empathic, into the top corner.
The relief among Belgian fans (it is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 have made the short trip to Germany for the tournament) was palpable. But it did not last long, with VAR rescinding this latest apparent equaliser because Openda was judged to have used his hand to control the ball when getting past Vavro.
Lukaku was not the only Belgium player to be thwarted yesterday in Frankfurt — Johan Bakayoko had a shot cleared off the line — but this was another disappointing personal performance on the grand stage, sending the mind back 18 months to him missing a host of chances against Croatia as Belgium, third at the 2018 World Cup, were eliminated from the 2022 version at the group stage.
Having turned 31 last month, Lukaku lacks a little of the pace that made him such a blistering and bruising goalscorer at his peak, but the eye for goal remains. Yet the familiar foibles of his game (the inconsistent first touch, sometimes clumsy dribbling and occasionally cautious finishing style) all made an appearance on Monday.
“He’s been playing for Belgium for a long time and he knows very well how to score goals — he’s shown that,” said Tedesco after the Group E loss. The Belgium manager could be seen hugging his striker and giving him a pat on the chest in the team huddle after the full-time whistle.
“He did score two goals tonight but they were disallowed. If he needs something, I’m here for him. But he’s a top-class player and doesn’t need anything on that score.”
| Group E | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belgium | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Romania | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Slovakia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Ukraine | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 3 |
Lukaku’s missed chances and bad luck were far from the only factors in Belgium’s defeat, but he is occupying a difficult space this summer. He needs to have a good tournament, not only to confirm himself as one of the greatest Belgian players of all time but to attract suitors in the transfer market. After successive season-long loans to Inter Milan and Roma, he needs to find a new club again, and Chelsea are looking to do business for around £38million ($48.4m).
Advertisement
His performance in this surprise defeat will have done little to convince teams in Europe and Saudi Arabia that a move for Lukaku represents good business.
Belgium’s remaining group games against Romania and Ukraine will provide a chance for course correction, but his window of opportunity at football’s top table is closing.
GO DEEPER
The Radar - The Athletic's 50 players to watch at Euro 2024
(Top photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)