Romelu Lukaku has been a subject of criticism after Inter inflicted the first defeat on Roma during Daniele De Rossi’s early regime at the Stadio Olimpico. The Belgium international was a marginal figure in a goal-glutted derby won by Simone Inzaghi’s side via a 4-2 scoreline.
Gazzetta dello Sport, among others, took stock of Lukaku’s notoriously underwhelming showings in high-profile games. The 30-year-old’s lackluster finishing was part of the problem on Saturday night, as Roma lost by a two-goal margin despite leading at halftime.
In a game packed with goalscoring chances on both ends of the field, Lukaku failed to find the back of the net. Meanwhile, his Inter counterpart Marcus Thuram flourished, prompting rave reviews from the local media. By contrast, the Chelsea loanee remains on the receiving end of heavy scrutiny.
Lukaku’s profligacy saw him waste several decent opportunities to score his second goal under De Rossi. But for those familiar with his scoring output against top Serie A sides, Saturday’s wasteful performance wasn’t flabbergasting. In fact, it reaffirmed his struggles in big matches.
Roma fell victim to Lukaku’s tendency to disappear against top teams again as he failed in his second Serie A appearance against his former side, Inter. Inzaghi’s men are not the only Giallorossi rivals to enjoy a field day against the robust striker.
Lukaku was nowhere to be seen in both competitive Derby della Capitale editions this season. In addition to Lazio, Juventus have also neutralized the Belgian star almost effortlessly, casting doubt on his capacity to take Roma to their seasonal goals.
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