Belgium's giant striker Lukaku scores four goals in 20 minutes
Top striker Romelu Lukaku takes his remarkable goal tally for the Belgian national team to over 80 goals in a clear win against Azerbaijan. The team travels to next year's European Championship as group winners. Serbia will also be competing there for the first time.
Giant striker Romelu Lukaku has led Belgium to the 2024 European Football Championships in Germany as group winners with a four-goal haul against Azerbaijan. The 30-year-old attacker scored four times in the first half of the 5:0 (4:0) win in Brussels, taking his goal tally in the national shirt to 83. Only six players have officially scored more international goals.
For Lukaku, meanwhile, it was the first time he had scored four goals in an international match. With 14 goals in eight games, Lukaku also leads the scoring charts in European Championship qualifying. After winning the draw for next year's finals, Belgium will certainly be in Pot 1 and will therefore not face Germany. Coach Domenico Tedesco's much-rejuvenated team finished unbeaten in qualifying Group F with six wins and two draws ahead of Austria.
The two Wolfsburg players Koen Casteels and Aster Vranckx, among others, started against Azerbaijan, with Loïs Openda from RB Leipzig coming on for Lukaku in the second half. In the second match of Group F, Sweden, who can no longer qualify for the European Championship, won 2:0 (1:0) against Estonia. The goals were scored by Viktor Claesson (22) and Leipzig's Emil Forsberg (55). Estonia will take part in the play-offs as winners of Nations League Group D.
Meanwhile, Serbia secured their first European Championship ticket in a long-distance duel with neighbors Montenegro. Coach Dragan Stojkovic's team managed a 2:2 (1:0) draw against Bulgaria on the final matchday of qualifying to secure second place in Group G behind Hungary and a place in the European Championship. Their closest rivals Montenegro lost 3-1 (1-0) in Hungary and had to settle for third place.
Milos Veljkovic (16) from Bremen put the Serbs ahead, but Georgi Rusev (59) and Kiril Despodov (69) turned the game in the Bulgarians' favor. Srdan Babic (82) managed to equalize. Montenegro also took the lead with a goal from Slobodan Rubezic (36'), before former Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai scored a brace (66/68') and Adam Nagy (90+3') to lead the already qualified Hungarians to victory. Serbia and Montenegro last took part in a European Championship in 2000, when they were still together as Yugoslavia.
Belgium's impressive performance in European Championship qualification continues, as Romelu Lukaku's four goals against Azerbaijan securing a spot in the European Football Championship 2024 with a perfect group stage record. Furthermore, Serbia also secured their first European Championship ticket in decades, ensuring they will join Belgium in Group stages of the same tournament.
Source: www.ntv.de
