Romelu Lukaku marked his return to international football by scoring his 90th goal for Belgium on June 2, his first for the national team in a year, during a friendly against Croatia in Rijeka [1, 2]. The striker, who has struggled with a hamstring injury and limited club action at Napoli—scoring only once this season without starting any games—played a key role as Belgium warmed up for the World Cup [1, 3, 2, 4].
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia urged caution, stating, "We must keep our feet on the ground. ... Thinking that he will start against Egypt is still far too premature," noting Lukaku has "barely played this season and has hardly even trained with the group" [1]. Garcia added that Lukaku would likely play around 25 minutes in Belgium’s last warm-up match and be eased back gradually to avoid further injury [1].
Lukaku came on as a substitute for about 25 minutes on June 3 in Belgium’s final friendly, a 5-0 win over Tunisia, where he also assisted a goal scored by Dodi Lukebakio [3, 4]. Tunisia’s Ismael Gharbi was sent off in the 62nd minute after a second booking during the match [3, 4]. Jeremy Doku impressed on the left wing with strong form and assists, boosting Belgium’s confidence ahead of the tournament [3, 4].
Belgium’s World Cup Group G begins with an opening match against Egypt on June 15 in Seattle, followed by opponents Iran and New Zealand [1, 3, 2, 4]. Tunisia, meanwhile, will face Sweden, Japan, and the Netherlands in Group F [3, 4].
Belgium will monitor Lukaku’s fitness and performance as they prepare for the World Cup, with the striker expected to play limited minutes initially to preserve his condition ahead of the group stage kickoff [1, 2].
