Belgium 5-0 Azerbaijan: Romelu Lukaku scores four first-half goals in Euro 2024 qualifier

Publish date: 2024-01-29

Romelu Lukaku scored four first-half goals as Belgium thrashed 10-man Azerbaijan in Euro 2024 qualifying.

The 30-year-old now has 83 goals in 113 Belgium games, making him the seventh-highest scorer in men's international football history.

He headed in Jeremy Doku's cross before Eddy Israfilov was sent off, then smashed in a second from Timothy Castagne's knock down, nodded in Wout Faes' cross, and scored from Orel Mangala's ball, all before being replaced at half-time.

Leandro Trossard added a late fifth for Belgium from Doku's ball, with all five goals being set up by England-based players.

This was Belgium captain Lukaku's first international quadruple, having scored four once before in his club career in Everton's 6-3 Premier League win over Bournemouth in February 2017.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo (128, Portugal), Ali Daei (109, Iran), Lionel Messi (106, Argentina), Sunil Chhetri (93, India), Mokhtar Dahari (89, Malaysia) and Ferenc Puskas (84, Hungary) have scored more than Lukaku in international football.

His 14 qualifying goals put him far clear of closest challengers Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, who have scored 10 and nine respectively in this campaign.

Fourteen goals is a record for a European Championship qualifying campaign - beating the benchmark of 13 set by Northern Ireland's David Healy in 2008 and equalled by Poland's Robert Lewandowski in 2016.

The Red Devils had already booked their place in Euro 2024 and overtook Austria to finish top of Group F with this victory. They remain unbeaten since boss Domenico Tedesco joined in February.

Sweden, whose qualification hopes were already over, beat Estonia 2-0 in Stockholm in the group's other fixture.

Line-ups

Belgium

Formation 3-4-2-1

12Casteels

4Faes5Vertonghen3Theate

21Castagne18Mangala6Vranckx7Doku

19Bakayoko9Trossard

10Lukaku

Substitutes

Azerbaijan

Formation 4-1-4-1

1Mahammadaliyev

6Haqqverdi2Mammadov5Krivotsyuk3Cafarquliyev

14Israfilov

10Emreli8Mahmudov20Isayev17Bayramov

9Dadashov

Substitutes

Referee:Gergo Bogár

Attendance:30,276

Match Stats

Live Text

  • Match ends, Belgium 5, Azerbaijan 0.

  • Second Half ends, Belgium 5, Azerbaijan 0.

  • Foul by Ameen Al Dakhil (Belgium).

  • Cosqun Diniyev (Azerbaijan) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  • Goal! Belgium 5, Azerbaijan 0. Leandro Trossard (Belgium) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jérémy Doku.

  • Offside, Belgium. Leandro Trossard tries a through ball, but Loïs Openda is caught offside.

  • Sahruddin Mahammadaliyev (Azerbaijan) is shown the yellow card.

  • Attempt missed. Leandro Trossard (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Loïs Openda.

  • Substitution, Belgium. Ameen Al Dakhil replaces Jan Vertonghen.

  • Attempt blocked. Youri Tielemans (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Leandro Trossard.

  • Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Rahil Mammadov.

  • Foul by Leandro Trossard (Belgium).

  • Qismat Aliyev (Azerbaijan) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  • Substitution, Azerbaijan. Elvin Camalov replaces Emin Mahmudov.

  • Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Hoccat Haqqverdi.

  • Corner, Belgium. Conceded by Rahil Mammadov.

  • Attempt blocked. Yannick Carrasco (Belgium) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Leandro Trossard.

  • Attempt missed. Youri Tielemans (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.

  • Attempt missed. Jérémy Doku (Belgium) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Leandro Trossard.

  • Foul by Youri Tielemans (Belgium).

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