It has been a long, grinding wait for Romelu Lukaku. A goal drought that stretched across international breaks, whispered concerns in the stands, and...
It has been a long, grinding wait for Romelu Lukaku. A goal drought that stretched across international breaks, whispered concerns in the stands, and a weight that only a striker truly feels. That wait ended on Tuesday evening, and it ended in a manner that felt entirely appropriate: a scrappy, determined, forward's finish in a 2. 0 victory over Luka Modric's Croatia. For those who have watched Belgium labour through their so called golden age, this was not merely a friendly result. It was a statement of intent from a man who has heard the noise and decided to answer it.The game itself was a curious affair. Croatia, as ever, sought to control the rhythm through Modric's metronomic presence in the middle of the park. They pushed, they probed, and for long spells they kept Belgium penned into a low block. But there is a difference between possession and penetration. Belgium, under their interim setup, showed the kind of tactical flexibility that has often eluded them in tournament football. They sat deep, absorbed pressure, and then struck with venom on the break. It was transitional play at its most clinical, and Lukaku was the battering ram at the sharp end.His goal came from a moment of chaos in the Croatian box. A looping cross, a defensive mix up, and there was Lukaku, reacting half a second quicker than anyone else. It was not a thing of beauty. It was a thing of necessity. He prodded the ball home, let out a roar that carried across the pitch, and you could see the relief pour out of him. For the rest of the match, he was a different animal. He held the ball up, he muscled defenders off the ball, and he ran the channels with a hunger that has been missing for too long. The second goal, a neat finish from a younger squad member, sealed the result, but the real story was the return of Belgium's number one poacher.What does this mean for the Red Devils Well, it is one friendly win, and Croatia will argue they dominated large parts of the game. But football is not a sport won on possession stats alone. It is won on those split second decisions in the box, on the willingness to get your kit dirty, and on the sheer bloody mindedness of a striker who refuses to accept his own decline. Lukaku looked like a man who had bottled up months of frustration and let it all out on one swing of his boot. If he carries that attitude into the season for Napoli, Roberto Martinez's successor will have a very pleasant problem to solve.Let us not overegg the pudding. Croatia were missing key men and this was a friendly. But for Belgium, who have stumbled through recent tournaments like a side unsure of its own identity, this performance offered a glimpse of the old fire. The question now is whether Lukaku can sustain it. We have seen false dawns before. But on this evidence, the big man is far from done. He is angry, he is hungry, and he has just reminded everyone that he still knows exactly where the goal is.
