Striker Romelu Lukaku scored four goals in 20 minutes during the first half, leading a brilliant Belgium to a 5-0 victory against ten men from Azerbaijan in Group Six of the 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifiers in Brussels on Sunday. Captain Lukaku delivered a stunning performance, raising his tally to 14 goals in eight qualifying matches that Belgium had already secured by qualifying and topping the group. Azerbaijan finished their matches in fourth place with seven points from eight games.
The home team took a 4-0 lead within 37 minutes, benefitting from an early red card shown to Azerbaijan's Edi Israfylov, who received a second warning for a strong challenge on Lukaku. Leonardo Trossard scored the fifth goal near the end, but Belgium's efforts were led by Lukaku, who increased his tally to 83 goals for his country in 113 matches before being substituted at halftime.
This victory extended coach Domenico Tedesco’s unbeaten streak to ten matches since he took over the Belgian national team, winning eight of them. After a poor run in the World Cup in Qatar, confidence has returned to the team despite the absence of several key players, notably the injured Kevin De Bruyne. Azerbaijan could not keep up with the passing and movement of the home team, compounded by Lukaku's attacking prowess, which troubled the visitors' defense, resulting in four spectacular goals.
