The 27-year-old Belgian really wanted to win the Europa League title with Inter Milan. But he failed. And Lukaku was at least partly to blame.
It started so well for Romelu Lukaku. In the 5th minute he shot his team, Inter Milan, in the lead from the point. It wasn’t just the goal that made the Milanese cheer, it was also a record. With him, the 27-year-old striker expanded his record series, scored in the eleventh Europa League game in a row and also scored the earliest goal in the final in the history of the competition.
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It could have been a nice story. The story of a winner. Would have. Because it turned out differently, very differently.
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Everything was still good here: Lukaku scored from the point to make it 1-0.
–Video: SRF
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Hit front and back
So Lukaku failed in the second half at first on Seville goalie Bono. Bitter: He ran alone towards the goal, only had to bring the ball past the goalkeeper. But Bono reacted brilliantly and was able to parry the Belgian shot.
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And then it got even more bitter. It was the 74th minute. The ball came to Carlos on a free kick. In the style of a Brazilian striker, he shot the ball with an overhead kick on the Milan goal. And Lukaku? The 27-year-old deflected the ball into his own goal. Very bitter: the ball would not have gone in. It was 3-2 for Sevilla.
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And because it stayed that way, Romelu Lukaku became the most tragic figure of the final. The Lukaku drama came about because it hit front and back. Because although he set a record, he still couldn’t laugh at the end. Best seen after the final whistle: he stepped from the seat shaking his head and never came back to hand over the medals.
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