SEATTLE (AP) — Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku’s fitness remains a concern as his team prepares to face Senegal in the Round of 32. world cup on wednesday.
Lukaku, 33, leads the country in goals scored. In the spring, he missed a friendly match against Belgium in the United States to improve his health.. He missed the majority of the club season due to hamstring injury. Lukaku made just seven appearances in all competitions for Italian club Napoli last season.
“I’m going with the flow, I trained hard and in the end I’m happy to be here,” Lukaku said in French on Monday. “Especially when you look at where I come from. I try to make an impact when it’s needed.”
Lukaku started Belgium’s second group game against Iran but struggled to keep up with the tempo of the game. He failed to make a shot and received a yellow card, and was substituted in the 73rd minute.
However, in his two substitute appearances against Egypt and New Zealand, Lukaku performed much better. striker In a 1-1 draw against Egypt, they were forced into an own goal just 23 seconds into the match. He added a goal and an assist in a cameo appearance against New Zealand.
“When you’re on the bench, you have a lot of time to analyze everything that’s happening on the field,” Lukaku said. “Helping the team is the most important thing for me.”
Lukaku’s contract with Napoli expires in June 2027. The striker has had a tense relationship with the club, including missing training in March. Napoli urged to consider sanctioning the player..
A few weeks later, the two sides held constructive negotiations and Lukaku reaffirmed his desire to remain at Napoli until next season.
Belgium’s looming opponents, Senegal, sit third in Group I with three points and a goal difference of plus two. The African team made it through one of the toughest groups in the tournament, a group that included favorites France and Erling Haaland’s Norway.
Senegal was the third-place team in the best eight and the last third-place team to advance to the Round of 32.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game. Senegal have a lot of top-level players and so does the coach (Pape Thiau),” Lukaku said. “I think it’s 50-50. We shouldn’t underestimate them.”
Lukaku, 33, could play in his final World Cup. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, 35, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 34, could each miss the 2030 World Cup, potentially ending the team’s “golden generation”.
___
Owen Cameros is a student at Penn State University’s John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
