Lukaku reminds Chelsea fans of his greatness with hat-trick in Belgium win

Romelu Lukaku put aside his indifferent form for Inter Milan to deliver a remarkable goalscoring display, scoring a hat-trick as Belgium defeated Sweden 3-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Belgium began the game on the front foot and immediately carved out a chance when Dodi Lukebakio’s effort was deflected just wide of the right post. 

Sweden responded by almost taking the lead themselves when Dejan Kulusevski’s shot crept under Thibaut Courtois, but Wout Faes was able to recover just in time to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

Belgium took the lead when Lukebakio’s pinpoint cross found Romelu Lukaku, and the striker made no mistake by glancing a header home for his 69th international goal.

Belgium continued to attack after the break and duly got a second. Lukebakio weaved his way past some Swedish defenders before squaring to Lukaku, who tapped the ball in from close range. 

With just over 15 minutes remaining, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was introduced from the bench to become the oldest player to feature in European qualifying. 

However, his presence was not enough to inspire a comeback as Lukaku completed his hat-trick in the closing stages to seal the win for Belgium.