Ally McCoist was completely miffed by the sheer volume of chances Romelu Lukaku missed at the World Cup last night.
Speaking on talkSPORT, McCoist declared his shock at the Chelsea loanee’s inability to put the ball in the back of the net.
Lukaku was really Robert Martinez’s last roll of the dice to try and salvage Belgium’s crumbling campaign in Qatar.
With the watery Red Devils needing a positive result against Croatia yesterday, Martinez turned to his recovering striker for inspiration at half-time.
It would have been an inspired change, had the Chelsea expat not squandered his moment on the grandest stage.
Onlookers were able to count at least four, golden opportunities wasted by the 29-year-old attacker.
Lukaku loses sight of the target
It’s up for debate which was the most glaring miss, with each one frustrating in its own right.
The highlight real of wasted openings began when Lukaku cracked the post from about eight-yards out.
He was even closer to the goal with another failure, as he attempted to turn a cross into the net from an admittedly awkward angle.
His final grand presentation of the evening was almost on the goal-line, yet the number nine could only steer a low delivery off his chest into the goalkeeper’s arms.
“You’re not trying to make excuses for him because how he never scored goes beyond me. But you are trying to find a reason why he never scored. I don’t know why he thinks the defenders going to get a touch on it, or he see’s it late,” questioned McCoist.
“It will baffle me forever how he never scored one of those chances, particularly someone like Lukaku.
“You couldn’t make an excuse. It was actually amazing the amount of chances they had.”
Lukaku’s World Cup left in tatters
As it transpired, Belgium waved goodbye to the World Cup due to theirs and Lukaku’s powerlessness to break down Croatia.
Martinez’s Golden Generation has officially come to an end, just like his tenure as the country’s manager.
Many of the squad who limped through the group stages in Qatar will likely not be seen on the international stage again.
This could well be the case for Lukaku, as his career enters another crossroads.
He’s seemingly not wanted by Chelsea, Inter Milan might not turn his loan permanent, and injuries have truly doused his powers.
It’s difficult not to feel some sympathy for Romelu right now.
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