Latest development: Romelu Lukaku marked his first appearance for Belgium in 12 months by scoring his record-extending 90th international goal as the Red Devils beat Croatia 2-0 in an away World Cup warm-up friendly on Tuesday.
Captain Youri Tielemans opened the scoring in the 38th minute after Croatia failed to clear a square pass that followed Jeremy Doku’s marauding run. Tielemans swept the ball home from close range to give Belgium the lead they carried into the interval.
Lukaku, 33, was introduced as part of a heavy rotation by Belgium and produced a late cameo to underline his international pedigree. The former Inter and Chelsea striker broke away in the closing stages and slammed home a powerful strike — described as the game's final effort — to make it 2-0 and move clear at the top of Belgium’s all-time scoring charts on 90 goals.
The goal will be a welcome tonic for Lukaku after a difficult club season at Napoli, where he failed to start a single match and was hampered by a hamstring problem. His return to the national side and the late strike provide an immediate boost as Belgium fine-tune preparations ahead of the World Cup.
Both coaches used the friendly to test large parts of their World Cup squads: Croatia made 10 substitutions while Belgium made eight. Hans Vanaken almost added a third for Belgium when his header from Tielemans’ 74th-minute corner struck the crossbar. Croatia had chances of their own — Ante Budimir rattled the woodwork in the second half and Luka Modric was denied by a sharp save from Thibaut Courtois before halftime.
Looking ahead, Belgium will host Tunisia in Brussels on Saturday as a final warm-up before the World Cup, which begins for them with a Group G opener against Egypt in Seattle on June 15. Croatia have one more friendly against neighbours Slovenia in Varazdin on Sunday before flying to the United States, where their Group L campaign kicks off against England in Dallas on June 17.
The match underlined Belgium coach’s desire to blend returning senior figures like Lukaku with players who have been featuring regularly, and it gives Lukaku momentum as he seeks to translate his international form into a stronger World Cup showing despite a frustrating club season.