The truth is Romelu Lukaku probably should have departed the pitch cradling the match ball but the painful reality is the striker left empty-handed, his hat-trick of second-half misses condemning Belgium to a damning and premature World Cup exit. The worst one of all came deep into stoppage time. Thierry Henry covered his eyes with his top. Thomas Meunier chucked a water bottle into the ground. Yannick Carrasco threw a towel over his face. At the final whistle Lukaku punched the perspex substitutes’ bench in frustration before being consoled by Youri Tielemans.
Toby Alderweireld, one of those who surely won’t return to this stage, lay on the turf. A Belgium supporter in the stands dressed as a bright yellow cone of chips stood hands in pockets with a face like thunder. Some of their fans jeered the arrival of Eden Hazard, brought on for the final seven minutes. For Belgium’s golden generation, this last hurrah fell painfully flat. Croatia, runners-up four years ago, go through to play the winners of Group E in the last 16, most likely Spain.
