Belgium sweeps the qualifying phase with Romelu Lukaku as a leading figure

EFE News

Updated: November 20, 2023 – 03:09 CET

Belgium’s Lukaku Scores Four Goals in Historic Euro 2024 Qualifying Match

Belgium concluded the qualifying phase for the German Euro 2024 with a resounding victory over Azerbaijan (5-0) founded on the voracity of Romelu Lukaku, who scored four goals in just 20 minutes (between 17′ and 37′) to sign a historic first half.

Never before, in a match in a qualifying phase for the Euro Cup, has a player scored four goals in the opening 45 minutes. Lukaku surpassed that record in just 37′, the time it took to finish off Azerbaijan to allow Belgium to culminate their classification in first place in Group F with 20 points ahead of Austria.

Head of Series

The success of Lukaku will allow Belgium to be seeded in the draw that will be held on December 2 in Hamburg. Only five teams from the 10 groups in the qualifying phase will achieve that honor and Belgium will still have to wait for all the games for the rest of the last day to conclude.

While waiting for the rest of the markers, Lukaku emerged as the latest protagonist of his team after eight games in which he has only conceded two draws and has added six victories.

Lukaku had a real feast at the expense of a much inferior rival. Until this Sunday, the forward of the Rome had only managed to score four goals in a single game throughout his entire career. He did them in the Premier League against Bournemouth in the 2016/17 season, when he wore the shirt of Everton.

His successes also placed him with a good record in the Belgian team, since only three men have scored more goals in the same game. Specifically, they scored five goals Josip Weber against Zambia in 1994, Bert De Cleyn against Luxembourg in 1946, and Robert Deveen versus France in 1911. Furthermore, as Lukaku, Marc Van Der Linden also scored four against Luxembourg in 1989.

Lukaku began his private account with a header at 17 minutes; in the 26th minute, and after the VAR review, he scored with a good shot from inside the area after a cross from Timothy Castagne; In the 30th minute, again with a header, he scored the third; and the fourth, in the 37th minute, came after another placed shot that the goalkeeper could not save.

Trossard Shines as Belgium Triumphs 5-0

In a stunning display of dominance, Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku swiftly dismantled Azerbaijan’s defense within just 20 minutes, effectively sealing the fate of the match. The second half saw Belgium ease off the gas pedal, but it was Leandro Trossard who had the final say with a goal in added time, solidifying a resounding victory. Lukaku’s exceptional performance not only secured the win but also propelled him to the top of the qualifying phase’s goal-scoring chart with 14 goals, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of 10.