The Azerbaijanis were understandably confused, but thanks to Lukak’s intervention, they finally got their own anthem. Unfortunately for them, the very man who helped them in the situation soon turned into a ruthless executioner.
Seventeenth minute, Lukaku 1-0. Twenty-sixth minute, Lukaku 2-0. Thirtieth minute, Lukaku 3-0. Thirty-seventh minute, Lukaku 4-0. In the first half, the Belgian sniper made an explosive calendar out of the opponent’s defense, and even though he had a break from the game, he became independent at the top of the EURO qualification scorers’ table ahead of second-placed Cristiano Ronaldo (10). His fourteen goals are also a record feat, as no footballer has been able to achieve so many times in one qualification for the European Championship.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferenc Puskas are the only European men to have scored more goals than Romelu Lukaku in senior international football history ????
Lukaku’s 14 goals in EURO 2024 qualifiers are also the most in EURO qualifying history ????
UNREAL ???? pic.twitter.com/EYIRYrwkOJ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 19, 2023
“Four goals? I was just doing my job,” commented the 30-year-old attacker dryly on his gala performance. The fact that he became the first Belgian national team player in history to score four goals in a half didn’t excite him in the least. With 83 goals in 113 games, he is also the best goalscorer in the history of the Belgian national team. He has a hard-to-believe fifty-goal advantage over the second Eden Hazard, who recently ended his active career.
“It has always been my dream to become Belgium’s top scorer. I haven’t broken records since I managed to do that. I just keep doing what I’m doing and try to always focus on the team’s success,” continued Lukaku.
The left-footed bomber, who wears the colors of AS Rome at the club level and thus also faced Slavia Prague (2:0, 0:2) in this year’s Europa League, will fulfill the role of supporting the national team next year at the EURO in Germany. There, the Belgians fought their way from first place in Group F together with second Austria. In addition to Azerbaijan, they also left behind Sweden and Estonia.
“We are in a rebuilding phase, for many players this will be the first big tournament,” Lukaku acknowledges. “We have to be even better in the championship than we are now. We have enough time to work on ourselves,” he concluded.
2023-11-20 16:17:11
#EURO #wild #evening #Belgium #fiasco #anthem #Lukakus #record
