By Joe Wright

Belgium secured a place in their first World Cup finals since 2002 with a 2-1 win over Croatia on Friday, with man-of-the-moment Romelu Lukaku once more delivering the kind of display to leave Chelsea fans casting envious glances in his direction.

The on-loan Everton man broke the deadlock early in the first half when Steven Defour collected a loose pass and slipped Lukaku in behind the defence, where he calmly rounded Stipe Pletikosa before tapping home.

The 20-year-old added his second shortly before the break, out-muscling and out-sprinting the defence with such prowess that he earned a slice of luck when Pletikosa's block rebounded back into his path to allow the simplest of finishes.

Marc Wilmots' side have long been earmarked as a dark horse in international football - despite failing to qualify for a major tournament in over a decade - but Friday's gritty showing proved they deserve a place in Brazil next summer. While they remain weak in the full-back positions and struggled with the absence of Vincent Kompany at times, the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Axel Witsel, Defour and Eden Hazard all performed well behind the indomitable Lukaku.

Although they should not be considered true contenders for the top prize next summer, a Lukaku-led Belgium will likely cause a fair few sleepless nights for fellow qualified sides before the group stage draw is made on December 6.