Overview
- Belgium defeated Croatia 2-0 in Rijeka on Tuesday, with Youri Tielemans opening the scoring and Romelu Lukaku sealing the win with his 90th international goal deep in stoppage time.
- Lukaku returned from a long layoff and limited club minutes to make a late cameo, addressing concerns over a hamstring/hip issue that kept him out of much of the season.
- Both managers used heavy rotation to test options and preserve players, with Croatia and Belgium scheduled to play further warm-ups before group-stage openers on June 15 and June 17 respectively.
- Croatia played without injured centre-back Josip Šutalo and fielded veteran Luka Modrić wearing a protective mask, underlining both sides’ caution over fitness ahead of the tournament.
- The result provides a confidence boost and selection clues for Belgium but should be read as a preparation exercise rather than a definitive form check, with Lukaku’s minutes and match sharpness the key things to watch next.