Belgium’s star striker Romelu Lukaku (Roma) has been underperforming, failing to score in three straight group games at the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro) 2024. Belgium struggled with only two goals in three group games, a disappointing performance for a strong team.
On June 27, Belgium drew 0-0 against Ukraine in the final Group E match of the Euro 2024, held at Stuttgart Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. With this result, Belgium advanced to the knockout stage with a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss (4 points, goal difference 1) as the group’s runner-up.
It was a challenging group stage. Belgium ranked third in the FIFA rankings, was considered a top contender for the championship, second only to France (2nd) among the 24 teams participating in the tournament.
However, they started with a 0-1 defeat in the first group game against Slovakia. Fortunately, they managed to advance through the group stage by defeating Romania 2-0 and drawing 0-0 with Ukraine, but their performance was not satisfying. In particular, concerns about their offense are deepening as the tournament progresses. Belgium has failed to score in two of the three group games, revealing issues with their attack.
Belgium’s silence regarding their leading striker, Lukaku, is undoubtedly a concern. The current core of the Belgian team once called the golden generation, consists of Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City). Most of the main players have retired.
Lukaku is a striker with exceptional scoring ability. He has scored in double digits for the past 12 seasons and has established himself as one of the top strikers in Europe, scoring more than 10 goals every season regardless of his team or league.
However, he is not meeting expectations in the European Football Championship (Euro) 2024.
According to TNT Sports, Lukaku attempted 7 strikes in the three group games, the highest number of strikes in this tournament’s group stage. However, he missed six decisive scoring opportunities, showing a disappointing performance in terms of goal decision-making. His six missed chances are also the highest in this tournament’s group stage.
He was unable to celebrate after scoring three times because the goals were disallowed following Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviews.
If Lukaku continues to underperform, Belgium’s chances of succeeding in major tournaments will fade. Belgium is now competing for a spot in the quarterfinals against strong championship contender France. As the last 16th round is a knockout stage, the revival of Lukaku who can score crucial goals, is desperately needed.