‘Give him a vacation in Split!’ – Lukaku trolled by Rakitic after big misses see Belgium crash out of 2022 World Cup against Croatia

Croatia legend Ivan Rakitic has trolled Romelu Lukaku after his costly World Cup misses, saying the striker should be given a “vacation in Split.” 

​Striker fluffed his lines at Qatar 2022Red Devils now heading homeCroatia march on into the last 16

WHAT HAPPENED? The Belgium international fluffed his lines badly during the final round of Group F fixtures on Thursday, with his inability to find the target resulting in a 0-0 draw that sent the Red Devils crashing out and edged the Croatians through into the last 16. Rakitic, who retired from duty with his country in 2020 with 106 caps to his name, has delighted in seeing Lukaku endure an off day in front of goal and has joked that he should be rewarded with a free holiday by the Adriatic Sea.

WHAT THEY SAID: Rakitic said in a video on Instagram as the final whistle blew in the crunch contest – which he ended by blowing a kiss to the camera: “Let’s go Lukaku! We have to give him a month of vacation in Split. Let’s go!”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lukaku was left devastated after drawing a blank against Croatia and punched out a panel in one of the dugouts as his emotions spilled over. Former Inter team-mate Ivan Perisic was among those to try and console the Chelsea-owned frontman, and he told FIFA+ afterwards: I was with him for two or three minutes after the game. This is football, once you score, another time you miss. He’s a really strong player. Now I hope he can win as many trophies as possible with the Inter shirt. For us the most important thing was to pass the group. We played a good game, as did they. But I think, considering the three games, we deserved to go ahead in this World Cup.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT? A last-16 encounter with Japan on Monday is next up for Croatia, while Lukaku and Belgium’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ are preparing to head home after another disappointing showing at a major tournament that has seen manager Roberto Martinez walk away from his post.

 

 

Related Post
Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Mohammad Kaif slams KL Rahul’s critics after latter’s 11th hundred in IND vs WI 2025 1st Test

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif slammed KL Rahul’s critics after the Indian opener continued his… Read More

October 3, 2025

Sanjay Bangar picks Gill to break Rohit Sharma’s record for highest score in ODIs

Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has backed Shubman Gill to break Rohit Sharma’s record… Read More

October 3, 2025

Mohammad Kaif says Karun Nair should have been included for West Indies Tests

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif believes the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel should have included Karun… Read More

October 2, 2025

AB de Villiers hails Kuldeep Yadav for Asia Cup 2025 heroics

Former South African captain AB de Villiers showered praise on Kuldeep Yadav after the wrist… Read More

October 2, 2025

Tilak Varma reveals Pakistan players tried to sledge him after heroics in Asia Cup 2025 final

Indian batter Tilak Varma revealed Pakistan players tried hard to sledge him during his match-winning… Read More

October 1, 2025

Wasim Akram slams Haris Rauf – ‘He’s a run machine… but as a bowler’

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram criticized Haris Rauf after his mundane performance in the Asia… Read More

October 1, 2025