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 Belgium forward is prone to performances like Monday’s display against Slovakia, when he looked a long way short of that exalted level in his team’s 1-0 defeat.
Domenico Tedesco’s side arrived at Euro 2024 unbeaten in 14 matches (10 wins, four draws) and with an attacking plan catering to the striker’s strengths.
It nearly yielded a goal three minutes into the game. Jeremy Doku skipped past three Slovakia defenders to speed down the right wing before delivering a cross for the striker. Lukaku had to contort himself into an unbalanced position to get a shot away, leading to an effort too central and saved by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
This has been one of the core frustrations about Lukaku across his career; a striker skilled enough to earn his team a good amount of shots per game, but lacking that certain something in the trickier moments.
No Belgian has scored more goals for the national team than Lukaku, who spent last season at Roma on loan from Chelsea. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 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 international football.
Yet the striker fluffed his lines again 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 him and his first touch 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.
Tedesco tried his best to address things at half-time. Doku and Trossard swapped flanks in the second half, with the Manchester City winger faring slightly better in partnership with Carrasco 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 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 in. It was a well-worked set-piece routine but was ruled out because Lukaku was marginally offside when Onana’s header arrived.
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 forward, who might one day take over Beligium’s goalscoring duties from Lukaku, beat Denis Vavro for pace down the wing before cutting the ball back for the waiting forward. Lukaku’s finish was empathic and found the top corner. The relief among Belgian fans (it is estimated that 10-15,000 have travelled to Germany for the tournament) was palpable. But it did not last long, with VAR rescinding the equaliser after 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 at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt — Johan Bakayoko had a shot cleared off the line — but it was another disappointing performance from the striker on the grand stage, forcing the mind back to late 2022 when he missed a host of chances against Croatia as Belgium were eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage.
At 31, Lukaku lacks a little off the pace that made him such a blistering and bruising goalscorer at his peak, but the eye for goal remains. Yet the foibles of Lukaku’s game (his inconsistent first touch, his sometimes clumsy dribbling and his 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.”
Lukaku’s missed chances were far from the only factors in Belgium’s defeat but the striker is entertaining a difficult space this summer. He needs to have a good tournament in Germany, not only to confirm himself as one of the greatest Belgian players of all time, but to entice potential suitors in the transfer market. The 31-year-old requires a new club this summer, and Chelsea are looking to do business for around £38million ($48.4m).
Belgium’s surprise defeat by Slovakia will do little to convince those in Europe and Saudi Arabia that a move for Lukaku represents good business. Games against Romania and Ukraine will provide a chance for course correction, but Lukaku’s window of opportunity at football’s top table is closing.
(Top photo: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
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