Lukaku's streak is Belgium's weapon against "zero" Spain
The experienced Romelu Lukaku maintains impressive statistics at the World Cup. At 33 years old, he is one of the most lethal strikers in the World Cup, with three goals from three shots in the last three games, according to a survey by the Opta Analyst supercomputer, a data reference and partner of Estadão.
Now, he promises to be one of Belgium's main weapons against Spain, this Friday, at 4pm (Brasília time), at the SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood (USA), in the quarter-finals. The Spanish have the best defense in the competition and the only team that has not yet been leaked.
Even coming off the bench in the last three duels, Big Rom (nickname given to the center forward) was fundamental and scored against New Zealand, in the group stage, Senegal, in the round of 32, and the United States, in the round of 16. The sequence represents a turnaround for the player, who once again became decisive in important moments of the championship.
In the first two rounds of the tournament, he started as a substitute in the debut against Egypt, in a 1-1 draw, and won the starting spot in the goalless draw with Iran. However, he performed discreetly and contributed little to the results that left the Belgian team threatened with elimination in the first phase.
Lukaku was already under strong suspicion and in the public eye even before the World Cup, due to a troubled European season with Napoli and difficulties in staying in shape. The striker played in just seven matches and scored a single goal, in addition to suffering from thigh injuries and coming into conflict with the Italian club's board and coach Antonio Conte, a situation that almost led to his departure.
Even in a downturn, national team coach Rudi Garcia bet on the experience of the center forward of Congolese democratic origin. Even so, he chose to give more minutes to Charles De Ketelaere, from Atalanta, who only disenchanted against the United States, when he scored twice in the 4-1 victory that guaranteed qualification to the quarter-finals.
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Despite the lack of pace, Lukaku appeared in the equalizer before the Egyptians in the first game, coming off the bench and impacting with his physical strength. During the play, he fought for the ball with Mohammed Hany, who ended up scoring against Belgium.
But the number 9's main performance was against Senegal, in the European team's impressive comeback after losing 2-0. He came on at half-time in place of Charles and changed the outlook of the match, battling against the strong Senegalese defense.
He scored the reaction goal, in the 41st minute, after a cross from Meunier. Afterwards, he saw Youri Tielemans equalize in the 44th minute. The turning point came in extra time, in a penalty converted in the 124th minute of the game. Before the kick, Lukaku handed the ball to the midfielder and asked him to take responsibility, in a gesture of trust for his teammate.
Romelu Lukaku's rebirth at the World Cup is proof that old habits don't disappear easily. Top scorer in the history of Belgium, with 93 goals, and of the country in World Cups, with eight balls in the net, the striker is competing in his fourth edition, after participations in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and seems to be recovering his best rhythm.
With four shots in the entire tournament and three goals scored, Lukaku, the team's top scorer in the competition, impresses with a 75% success rate, and promises to be an imminent danger for the only defense that has not yet conceded goals in the World Cup: Spain, with Unai Simón, Cubarsí, Laporte and company.
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Source: CNN