In a tournament where knockout matches are often decided by small details, Belgium has found an unusual formula to tip the balance in its favor: reserve Romelu Lukaku for the right moment.
The Naples strikerconditioned during the season by a series of injuries that kept him off the field for 44 games between his club and the Belgian team, has transformed substitution into a competitive advantage.
Far from losing prominence, it has turned each entry into an immediate threat for its rivals.
Lukaku’s impact from the bench
In his appearances as a substitute during the 2026 World Cup he recorded:
- 3 goals.
- 1 own goal provoked.
- Direct participation in four scores.
- Belgium’s top scorer in the tournament.
His influence has been immediate from the first game.
A specialist in changing matches
The debut against Egypt marked the beginning of the trend. Lukaku entered the second half and barely 14 seconds later caused the own goal that meant the final 1-1 draw, without needing to touch the ball. His emergence forced the Egyptian defender to send the cross into his own goal as the forward was preparing to finish.
After starting without scoring against Iran (0-0), the coaching staff once again measured their minutes at the close of the group stage against New Zealand.
The bet worked again.
Lukaku entered the minute 84:25 and just 55 seconds laterto the 85:20scored a header to make it 4-1 in a 5-1 victory that secured first place in Group G.
His influence appeared again in the round of 32 against Senegal.
With Belgium trailing 0-2, Rudi García turned to the striker again after the break. In the 85th minute he scored the discount (1-2), a goal that completely changed the dynamic of the match and paved the way for a comeback that ended up being consummated in extra time with a 3-2 victory.
From goal to political message
History repeated itself in the round of 16 against the United States.
Lukaku entered the minute 66:50 and, in the 92:24sealed the Belgian 4-1 victory with the last goal of the match.
However, the score transcended sports due to its celebration.
The attacker imitated the characteristic dance of the American president donald trumpa gesture interpreted as a reference to the controversy that marked the run-up to the match, after the president publicly acknowledged having called the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, to request a review of the sanction that initially prevented the American forward from playing. Folarin Balogun.
FIFA’s decision to provisionally suspend the punishment generated strong criticism from the Belgian Football Federation and fueled one of the biggest institutional debates of the tournament.
A strategy that Belgium wants to repeat
Beyond the numbers, Lukaku’s performance responds to planning carefully managed by Rudi García.
The forward himself has explained that he takes advantage of the time on the bench to observe the behavior of rival defenses, detect spaces and analyze offensive movements before entering the field of play.
This prior reading has allowed him to appear with physical freshness and greater tactical clarity when the games begin to open up spaces.
Spain, the next challenge
Next Friday, Belgium will face one of its most demanding commitments of the World Cup when it faces Spain for a place in the semifinals.
Against a Spanish team that has shown one of the most consistent defenses in the championship, Lukaku’s role once again emerges as one of the Belgian team’s main assets.
In a World Cup where the qualifiers are increasingly defined by the details, Belgium has found in Romelu Lukaku an unusual resource: a substitute capable of changing the course of a match. Against Spain he will once again wait for his moment. And the antecedents suggest that, when Rudi García looks towards the bench, the scorer will once again have an opportunity to decide another World Cup night.