Reuters
Romelu Lukaku marked his return to the Belgium side with a record-extending 90th international goal as they beat Croatia 2-0 away in their World Cup warm-up friendly today.
Captain Youri Tielemans took advantage of a defensive slip to score the opening goal while Belgium’s all-time top scorer Lukaku struck with the last effort of the match in his first game for the national side in 12 months.
The 33-year-old Lukaku broke away and slammed home a powerful strike to set about expunging a dismal campaign at club level with Napoli where he failed to start a single match all season and struggled with a hamstring injury.
Tielemans swept home the ball from close range in the 38th minute after the Croatia defence failed to clear a square pass following Jeremy Doku’s marauding run.
The clash provided both teams’ coaches with an opportunity to field a large number of their World Cup-bound squads, as Croatia used 10 substitutes and Belgium brought on Lukaku for a cameo appearance in the last 18 minutes.
Hans Vanaken, another of the eight subs that Belgium used, headed Tielemans’ 74th-minute corner against the crossbar.
Croatia’s Ante Budimir also struck the crossbar in the second half, while Luka Modric was denied before halftime by Thibaut Courtois’ sharp save.
Croatia will have another warm-up game against neighbours Slovenia in Varazdin on Sunday, while Belgium host Tunisia in Brussels on Saturday.
At the World Cup, Belgium begin their Group G campaign against Egypt in Seattle on June 15, while Croatia’s first match in Group L is against England in Dallas on June 17.
