Romelu Lukaku scores his 90th international goal as Belgium beat Croatia in World Cup warm-up clash

Belgium asserted their dominance in the first half at Stadion Rujevica, with Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans continuing his fine club form on the international stage. The opening goal arrived in the 38th minute following a period of sustained pressure from the visitors. Jeremy Doku whipped a dangerous cross into the area that eventually fell to Tielemans after deflections involving Josip Sutalo and Maxim De Cuyper. The midfielder remained composed to slot the ball home, giving the Red Devils a deserved lead.

The headline moment arrived deep into stoppage time when Lukaku sealed the victory with his 90th international goal. Despite having only played limited minutes for Napoli this season, the veteran striker showed no signs of rust when he latched onto a direct ball from Hans Vanaken. Lukaku proceeded to smash a powerful finish over Dominik Kotarski to confirm the win in the 96th minute.

Reflecting on the performance of his star striker, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia noted that the forward began pressing the opposition immediately upon his introduction. The coach admitted to being demanding of his star forward but expressed total satisfaction with the impact he made after entering the fray in the 73rd minute.

Garcia concluded his remarks by saying: “Lukaku was born to score goals. I thought he could have handled one of the earlier chances better, and it’s natural to be stricter with top players, but he came on well and started pressing the opposition as soon as he entered the game. Everyone is happy for him and has a lot of respect for him. Now he has to continue working with the coaching staff and keep improving.”

Garcia was also full of praise for his side's tactical discipline and organisation throughout the encounter. While Tielemans had given the visitors a first-half lead, Garcia noted that the structure of the team allowed them to withstand pressure from a Croatia side still led by the evergreen Luka Modric.

“We played well against Croatia,” Garcia said. “The water break allowed us to make three tactical changes that improved our performance. We faced some difficulties at times, but we managed to keep a clean sheet. The players defended as a team and didn’t give the opposition any clear-cut chances, apart from the shot that hit the crossbar.”

With the 2026 World Cup looming, this victory acts as a significant confidence booster for a Belgian squad looking to blend experienced heads like Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois with emerging talents. The Red Devils have one final warm-up fixture against Tunisia before they officially begin their quest for global glory in Group G.

“It was an important match before the World Cup, and we are happy to have beaten a strong team like Croatia. What impressed me most was the team’s collective performance, and the substitutions didn’t affect our performance,” Garcia added.