Lukaku Shines in Belgium's Convincing Croatia Victory as World Cup Looms

Belgium pulled off a commanding performance in Rijeka on Tuesday evening, dispatching Croatia 2-0 in a crucial World Cup warm-up encounter. Yet despite the convincing nature of the victory, the Belgian camp is taking pains to keep expectations firmly in check.

The headline act came courtesy of Romelu Lukaku, whose stoppage-time finish capped a dominant second-half display. The strike represented his 90th international goal and provided an emotional return for the striker, who had been sidelined for a full year and endured a frustrating campaign at Napoli that saw him clock up barely an hour of competitive football.

"For him, it's huge. He lives for goals. So the fact that he scored is something we're really happy about," manager Rudi Garcia reflected afterwards. "You also saw the reaction of his teammates. They all went over to celebrate with him, and he deserves it."

The Belgian boss was keen to emphasise the significance of the moment without letting optimism run away. "Our top scorer, our super top scorer, has scored again, and that's fantastic. That goal is good for his confidence. Still, we have to remain cautious. It can be dangerous to rush things. We need to bring him along step by step," Garcia told gathered reporters.

Lukaku's recent struggles stemmed from hamstring issues that kept him out of action since early March. Garcia acknowledged the unpredictable nature of comebacks from extended layoffs. "However, he showed once again that he's further along than we thought. With long injury absences, it often works like this: you can be very good at the beginning and then suffer a setback afterwards," the coach cautioned.

Captain Youri Tielemans had given Belgium the lead earlier in the match, capitalising on a Croatian defensive error to break the deadlock against the run of play. However, Belgium's superiority became apparent as the contest wore on, with the visitors creating far more in the second half before Lukaku's late flourish sealed matters.

Kevin De Bruyne, the experienced midfield orchestrator, struck a similarly measured tone when assessing the display. "I think it was a tight, closely contested match," he noted. "We tested a few things, perhaps not necessarily with the aim of fully implementing everything for the World Cup. As a team, we were quite compact and didn't give away much. Here and there, we're still searching for a few things, and there are aspects where we can play better."

The midfielder stressed the importance of maintaining perspective as the tournament draws near. "This is a good start, but we need to stay calm. So much can still change. There will also be moments during the World Cup when things become more difficult. This team wants to approach it in a positive way," De Bruyne said.

Belgium's preparations continue with a second friendly fixture against Tunisia in Brussels on Saturday before they head to the United States for their Group G opener against Egypt in Seattle on June 15.