The Mt Kenya Times 
Tielemans and Lukaku give the Red Devils a clinical pre-World Cup boost on the Adriatic coast.
By Norman Mwale
Belgium underlined their credentials with a clinical 2-0 victory over Croatia in an international friendly at Stadion HNK Rijeka on Monday, with Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku providing the goals in a contest that served as a key tune-up ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Red Devils weathered early pressure from Luka Modrić’s side before striking in each half to extend their unbeaten run to five matches.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 37th minute when Tielemans arrived late in the box to steer a left-footed finish into the centre of the goal, capitalising on patient build-up play to put Belgium 1-0 up at the interval. Croatia, roared on by a capacity crowd in Rijeka, responded with intensity after the break but struggled to convert possession into clear chances. Petar Musa went closest with a driven effort in the 11th minute, while Belgium’s Jérémy Doku tested Dominik Livaković early on.
As the Vatreni pushed for an equaliser, Belgium struck decisively on the counter in stoppage time. Hans Vanaken slipped a perfectly weighted through ball to Lukaku, who cut in from the left and drilled a low shot into the bottom right corner in the 96th minute to seal the 2-0 result. The goal capped a professional away performance and ensured Belgium left Croatia with a morale-boosting win.
Speaking after the match, Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco praised his side’s discipline. “We knew Croatia would have the ball, especially with Modrić controlling the tempo. The key was to stay compact and be ruthless when the chances came,” Tedesco said. “Youri’s timing for the first goal was perfect, and Romelu showed again why he is so important to us in these games.”
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić admitted his team lacked cutting edge despite a positive approach. “We created situations but the final pass or shot was missing. Against a team like Belgium you get punished,” Dalić told reporters. “This is preparation. We will learn from it before the qualifiers start.” Captain Luka Modrić, who led Croatia out in front of his home supporters, added: “It is always special to play here in Rijeka. The result is disappointing but the World Cup is what matters. We keep working.”
The match, played on 2 June 2026, drew significant interest as both nations fine-tune for competitive fixtures later this year. Belgium’s victory continued a recent edge in the head-to-head, with the Red Devils now holding three wins to Croatia’s three across nine meetings. For Croatia, the defeat was a sobering reminder of the margins at international level, while Belgium depart the Adriatic coast with momentum and two well-taken goals to show for their evening’s work.
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