TalkSport pundit Ally McCoist has criticised Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian’s poor performance saw his side knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages.
The striker came on at half-time against Croatia, but missed four big chances as per SofaScore, and his shocking display in front of goal meant Belgium drew 0-0 when a victory would have sent them through.
The former Chelsea forward was visibly distraught at full-time and has received criticism for the manner in which he missed some glorious opportunities.
McCoist has claimed that he cannot quite believe how the 29-year-old failed to score, given the quality of opportunities presented to him.
“You’re not trying to make excuses for him because how he didn’t score is beyond me, but you’re trying to find a reason why he never scored,” McCoist stated.
“I don’t know whether he thinks the defender’s gonna get a touch on it [the ball], or he sees it late and doesn’t react to it.
“But guys, it will baffle me forever, how he never scored one of those chances, particularly somebody like Lukaku.”
TIF thoughts on Lukaku…
The Inter striker has had a strong goal record throughout his career, but it was the worst possible day at the office for the forward, who was also struggling for fitness heading into the tournament.
Missing a reported 1.98 expected goals in just 45 minutes of play highlights how poor his finishing was, and on another day the forward could have scored a hattrick.
Problems have surrounded Lukaku for well over a year, with a £100m transfer to Chelsea going sour before returning on loan to Inter, and starting just 20% of Inter’s games this season.
It was a day he will want to quickly forget, but one which may haunt him given the gravity of his missed chances.