Few strikers in international football history can match the scoring exploits of Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku.

The powerful forward has amassed an astonishing 93 goals for the Red Devils, establishing himself as his country’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most prolific marksmen the international game has ever seen.

What makes the feat even more remarkable is the breadth of opposition he has punished. Lukaku’s 93 international goals have come against 39 different countries spread across multiple continents and competitions.

European teams have borne the brunt of his firepower. No fewer than 29 European nations have conceded to the Belgian striker, while teams from Africa, Asia, North America and South America have also fallen victim to his finishing ability.

Yet amid that long list of victims, one notable football giant remains untouched: Spain.

Despite scoring against almost every type of opponent imaginable during his international career, Lukaku has never found the net against La Roja. It is a statistical anomaly for a player who has spent more than a decade terrorising defences around the world.

The record adds an intriguing subplot to Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final showdown with Spain. As Belgium seek a place in the semi-finals, Lukaku will be chasing more than just victory. He will also be aiming to remove one of the last blank spaces from his remarkable international scoring map.

BET9JA FACT FILE

• Player: Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
• International Goals: 93
• Different Countries Scored Against: 39
• European Nations Scored Against: 29
• Belgium All-Time Leading Scorer: Yes
• Never Scored Against: Spain
• Next Opportunity: FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-final vs Spain

For a striker who has conquered almost every defence put before him, Spain represents one final riddle waiting to be solved.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Spain will take a formidable historical advantage into their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash with Belgium as two of international football’s most consistent teams put lengthy unbeaten runs on the line.

La Roja have dominated recent meetings between the two European heavyweights, going unbeaten in their last 11 encounters against Belgium. The Spaniards have won nine of those matches and drawn two, including victories in each of the last five meetings.

Four of those five successive wins came during FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns, underlining Spain’s ability to rise to the occasion whenever the Belgians stand in their way.

While history strongly favours Spain, current form suggests Friday’s showdown could be one of the most compelling contests of the tournament.

Spain arrive in the quarter-finals carrying an extraordinary 35-match unbeaten run in regular time. Their sequence of 26 victories and nine draws stretches back more than two years to a 1-0 friendly defeat by Colombia in London on March 22, 2024.

That remarkable consistency has helped establish Spain as one of the favourites for the title and has been built on a blend of defensive solidity, technical superiority and clinical finishing.

Belgium, however, have been equally difficult to beat.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 18 matches, recording 12 wins and six draws since suffering a 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League in March last year.

Led by the experienced Romelu Lukaku and a squad combining seasoned campaigners with emerging talent, Belgium have steadily rebuilt momentum and confidence after a difficult period, arriving at the World Cup quarter-finals as genuine contenders.

The statistics set up a fascinating battle between a Spain side that has repeatedly found answers against Belgium and a Belgian team that has rediscovered its resilience and winning habit.

For Spain, victory would extend both their dominance over Belgium and their remarkable unbeaten sequence. For Belgium, it represents an opportunity to break a frustrating head-to-head trend and end one of international football’s longest-running unbeaten records.

Something will have to give when the two unbeaten runs collide, with a coveted place in the World Cup semi-finals awaiting the winner.

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FIFA’s handling of two World Cup red-card cases came under renewed scrutiny on Thursday after England defender Jarell Quansah got a two-match suspension while U.S. striker Folarin Balogun avoided an immediate ban for a ​similar challenge.

That has left former international referees unable to reconcile the two decisions.

Quansah was sent off in ‌England’s last-16 victory over Mexico after a video review deemed his sliding studs-up challenge serious foul play. He was later handed a two-match ban that England’s Football Association said it could not appeal.

Balogun, by contrast, was sent off during the United States’ round-of-32 win over Bosnia but received ​a one-match suspension that world soccer’s governing body FIFA later suspended.

Balogun’s ban was suspended on probation for one year ​under Article 27 of the disciplinary code, FIFA said, although it has not publicly explained ⁠why it considered that sanction appropriate in his case.

The fact that U.S. President Donald Trump had personally urged FIFA President Gianni ​Infantino to review Balogun’s case only intensified the controversy, even though FIFA insisted the conversation played no part in its decision.

“FIFA ​have failed in their duty towards the game after they delayed the ban for Balogun. They allowed outside interference by the president,” former referee Keith Hackett wrote on social media on Thursday.

“FIFA, the major lawmaker are at fault. But both players committed Serious Foul Play challenges sanctioned ​by a red card.”

ROUGHLY EQUAL OFFENCES

Jonas Eriksson, who was a FIFA referee for 16 years from 2002, said if Balogun ​got a one-match suspension, Quansah should have as well, seeing their two on-field incidents were roughly equal in terms of intensity and aggression.

“What ‌everyone wants ⁠from referees, they want the correct decisions, yes, but more important always is consistency,” Eriksson told Reuters.

“That you identify, okay, player A gets the same sanction as player B. Team A gets the same sanction as team B. You know, that’s what you expect. And this is not the case when it comes to Quansah and Balogun.”

British media quickly drew comparisons between ​the two cases, with The ​Independent running the headline: “FIFA confirms ⁠Jarell Quansah ban just days after Folarin Balogun reprieve.”

Eriksson said the subsequent suspension of Balogun’s match ban was never adequately explained, contributing to the furore.

Belgium unsuccessfully challenged Balogun’s eligibility before ​their round-of-16 victory over the United States, but FIFA has still not publicly explained why ​it decided to ⁠suspend the striker’s ban under Article 27.

“If you’re not able to communicate how they interpret the situation – was it an incorrect decision of the referee or was it the wrong application of the laws of the game – we don’t know,” said Eriksson, whose book “House ⁠of Cards” ​explores the “dirty game behind the game” for FIFA referees.

“It’s just for you ​and me and for everybody else to guess. But with that in mind, the red card for Quansah and the suspension is for me, just, it’s ​a mystery.”

-Reuters

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