Centurion Lukaku admits to struggling with injury issue

Sep 07, 2021 06:00 am

Romelu Lukaku marked his 100th cap with an early goal to set Belgium on their way to an impressive 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in their World Cup Group E qualifier in Brussels yesterday morning (Singapore time), but admitted he has been "struggling with a minor issue for a while".

It was Lukaku's 67th goal for his country and came after eight minutes, followed by a second from captain Eden Hazard four minutes before half-time.

Substitute Alexis Saelemaekers added a third with 25 minutes left to underline Belgium's place atop the Fifa rankings and extend their unbeaten home record to 29 games.

Victory consolidated Belgium's top spot in Group E as they moved to 13 points from five games, six points clear of the second-placed Czechs.

But Lukaku, who is suspended for Thursday morning's clash against Belarus, gave Chelsea fans a scare, telling HLN: "I'll have a scan of my thigh first. I have been struggling with a minor issue for a while. Then I will return to Chelsea." - REUTERS