Romelu Lukaku talked to the press today from the camp in Tubize. Belgium will face Portugal Sunday, and the Inter star did not shy away from the duel with Cristiano Ronaldo. “He was the capocannoniere, but we won the Scudetto. It was a very important objective for us and my primary goal. I crave his dribbling and his shooting ability. On the other hand, I think he envies a little my strength and aim, and our team play.”
On what motivates him: “When the critics referred, for instance, to Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, they always labeled them world-class strikers. I was described as a good center-forward. This fueled me to work harder and get better. I think I belong to that list now. I like provocations and know how to deal with them.”
Lukaku expanded on his precision on penalty kicks: “I improved over time, you must not think too much and allow the goalie to distract you. You just have to focus and hit the ball properly. In any case, I do not think there will not be a shootout tomorrow. We want to win beforehand.”
On his side: “We are more mature compared to the 2018 World Cup when we bowed out in the semis against France. We were too romantic back then. There are many ways to win a game; we learned that. You must be willing to suffer to be successful. We will face the defending champions Sunday; they have great skills both individually and collectively. They are very proud of their country, but we will do everything in our power to advance.”