Lukaku’s nightmare misses send Belgium out

Haunted. Utterly, totally haunted. The gaunt expression on Romelu Lukaku’s face was almost painful to watch. It looked like private intrusion in a public arena as he missed a host of chances that would have taken Belgium and not Croatia into the last 16 of this World Cup.

Instead, they are out and coach Roberto Martinez is gone; he has quit and also looked emotional as he announced his unsurprising decision.

The “Golden Generation” has crumbled into base metal. At the final whistle, Lukaku, who had come on as a half-time substitute, struggling for form and fitness just like Belgium, almost appeared to be in a trance. His team-mates dropped to the turf but he kept on walking, walking straight to Belgium’s assistant manager, and his mentor, Thierry Henry. Lukaku was a drowning man looking for a life raft and Henry wrapped his arms around him protectively, holding him up.

Then the tears flowed. Lukaku’s powerful frame heaved as he cried and cried before there was also anger and a release of frustration – he walked to the Belgium dugout and punched out a huge piece of Perspex before slumping in a chair with team-mate Youri Tielemans trying to console him.

Belgium will go home from this World Cup and lick their wounds but, for Lukaku, this is a scar that might not heal. The centre-forward, who has scored an astonishing 68 goals for his country, looked completely traumatised.

He was not fit. He came on only at half-time. He could not be risked any further. After his return on loan to Inter Milan in the summer, following his unhappy move back to Chelsea, Lukaku has been plagued by hamstring and thigh problems.

Belgium’s “XG” – the statistical measure used to decide “expected goals” – was more than three. And yet they scored none and Lukaku knows where the responsibility lies. There were three golden chances for him alone, one of which was surely more difficult to miss than score, and a fourth woefully headed over which would probably have been disallowed for the ball going out of play before it was crossed.

Martinez, in charge for six years, spoke of “legacy”, and he has done far better than he is given credit for with Belgium but will forever be accused of falling short with this glittering generation. Kevin De Bruyne is 31; Eden Hazard is 31; Dries Mertens is 35; Jan Vertonghen 35 and Toby Alderweireld 33. Lukaku is the youngest, at 29. There are others emerging – Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana and Charles de Ketelaere – but are they as good?

Lukaku will face even more pain. The analysis of his chances is agonising. Number one: De Bruyne picked out Yannick Carrasco with a wonderful pass only for Josip Juranovic to superbly block his shot. With the goal beckoning, the rebound ran to Lukaku who had to score but rushed it and slammed his right-footed shot against the post.

Number two: Thomas Meunier drove a cross-cum-shot hard and low in from the right. It struck

Lukaku and was diverted narrowly past the near post, but if he had been more alert and sharper he would have directed it into the net.

Number three: oh, number three. What a miss. It came in injury time after an exciting, slaloming dribble by substitute Doku across the Croatian penalty area and a precise cross from Thorgan Hazard, another replacement, that flew over Dejan Lovren as he strained to try and head it. The ball dropped to Lukaku a couple of yards out and all he had to do was turn it over the goal-line. Instead the ball struck his midriff and bounced across the six-yard area for goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic to drop on it. He could not believe it. No one could believe it.

There was more. If Lukaku had been up to speed, he would have got more behind another header and then beaten the excellent Josko Gvardiol to a cross. The 20-year-old defender, expected to join Chelsea

next season, was later hailed by the Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic as: “If not already No1 in the world then he will be No1”.

And so it is Luka Modric’s Croatia and not De Bruyne’s and Lukaku’s and Hazard’s Belgium who progress as the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists failed to beat the 2018 finalists. Dalic admitted his team were “lucky” but also argued a penalty decision in their favour in the first half should have stood.

The award was given by English referee Anthony Taylor when Carrasco caught Andrej Kramaric. It was allowed to go all the way to Modric waiting to take his kick before Taylor went over to check the monitor after being urged to do so by Var Marco Fritz. Eventually, it was deemed that Lovren’s shoulder was inches ahead of the last defender, Vertonghen, in the buildup and the decision was rescinded.

The point meant that Croatia finished runners-up to surprise group winners Morocco. Lukaku should, though, have knocked them and not Belgium out.

Croatia (4-3-3) Livakovic 7; Juranovic 7, Lovren 6, Gvardiol 8, Sosa 6; Modric 8, Brozovic 7, Kovacic 7 (Majer 90+2); Kramaric 6 (Pasalic 64), Livaja 5 (Petkovic 64), Perisic 6.

Belgium (3-4-3) Courtois 8; Dendoncker 6 (Tielemans 72), Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 6; Meunier 6 (E Hazard 87), Witsel 6, De Bruyne 8, Castagne 5; Trossard 5 (T Hazard 59), Mertens 5 (Lukaku h-t), Carrasco 6 (Doku 72).

Booked Dendoncker.

Referee Anthony Taylor (England). 43,984.