Lukaku nightmare as Belgium crash out of World Cup

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku missed five huge opportunities to give Belgium victory over Croatia, so his nation crashes out of the World Cup in Qatar.

The centre-forward, who is still owned by Chelsea and on loan at Inter, came into the tournament carrying a muscular injury that has seen him make only two cameo appearances since the end of August.

He replaced former Napoli star Dries Mertens at half-time, but had five chances to give Belgium the goal they needed.

The first was on the rebound from a save, smashing his finish onto the upright of an open goal.

He then steered a header over the bar from six yards, although in this case was saved by the fact Kevin de Bruyne had dragged it out of play before the cross.

Lukaku flicked another low cross wide from six yards of the near post, then let an assist hit him to bundle into the arms of the Croatian goalkeeper.

Deep into stoppages, he seemed as if he simply had to score from close range, but was denied by a fantastic Gvardiol tackle.

At the final whistle, Lukaku burst into tears, well aware that he had missed those chances to rescue Belgium from early elimination.

He was consoled by Thierry Henry, but then punched straight through a Plexiglas wall of the dugout in frustration.

It was a huge blow for the Red Devils, who finished third in the last World Cup in 2018 and came into the tournament second in the FIFA rankings.

Croatia disappointed too, finishing runners up to Morocco in Group F.