INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku said the Red Devils will need to “play the perfect game” to get past Spain in Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal.
A win for Belgium would see them equal the mark of both the 1986 side that reached the semifinals in Mexico, as well as the 2018 team that did the same in Russia, where Lukaku played in a 1-0 loss to eventual champions France.
But that will mean defeating Spain, who have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, at SoFi Stadium with the winner advancing to face France in the semifinals.
“Tomorrow, we need to play the perfect game. If you want to proceed in the tournament, this is one of the crucial stages,” Lukaku said at Thursday’s news conference. “Spain is an excellent team. They’ve been playing the same type of football since 2008; very recognizable.
“They are looking for the third man. They have speed on the sides. Ferran Torres provides depth, but we are well prepared, and we also have certain assets which will make life difficult for them. And that’s of course the challenge.”
Lukaku has enjoyed something of a renaissance at this World Cup. He recalled how in April, Belgium manager Rudy Garcia said the longtime starter would be in a different role, that of an impact substitute.
It has proved to be a master stroke. Lukaku has scored three goals in this World Cup, including the one that sparked the comeback from two goals down when Belgium beat Senegal 3-2 in the round of 32.
“For me, it’s never about the individual. It’s about the team,” Lukaku said. “That’s been my motivation for the past couple of years and I’ve been quite successful I think because I think first of the team and then of myself.”
He added: “I have something from above helping me, helping the team. Everything that’s going well for us. And we’re going to continue it like this. The mindset’s going very well. We’re very well prepared physically, mentally, tactically, and we’ll rise to the challenge.”
Garcia noted Spain remain one of the best possession teams in the world, but also took time to laud La Roja’s defensive record of not conceding a single goal so far at the World Cup.
Still, Garcia is confident Belgium can end that streak.
“The statistics obviously are made to be shaken up and that’s what we’re hoping to do tomorrow,” Garcia said. “We’re going to do everything we can to score in the quarterfinal. We want to make it our own. Otherwise, we’ll be sent packing. That’s not what we want.”
Garcia noted that Belgium has the second highest number of goals scored in this World Cup and are going up against the team with the highest number of expected goals. But he seemed to be relishing Belgium’s underdog status.
“Everyone is already talking about us going home, but we think that we can do it,” Garcia said. “We think we can build off it and we’re going to do everything we can to get to the semis.”
