Big Rom unintentionally served Acerbi the ball for the 1-0, and then missed two clear chances in front of Inter’s goalkeeper Sommer.
With twenty minutes left, Lukaku had the chance for redemption. One to bring Roma level at 3-3, maybe even hope for a late comeback. The Belgian tried to snag the ball, to feint Sommer, but the Swiss goalkeeper stretched out his gloves as if to say, “No, you shall not pass.”
Lukaku had a forgettable game. He didn’t propel Roma against the team he betrayed in the summer, flirting with half of Europe while still in the Nerazzurri jersey writes Gazzetta dello Sport. He wasn’t decisive, showed no signs of redemption, and above all, didn’t score, despite a couple of clear chances in the span of five minutes. Big Rom faltered.
LUKAKU’S STRUGGLES
New coach Daniele De Rossi started him in the first four games. He scored against Verona but went goalless in the last three. Against Inter, he underperformed, struggling with easy controls and caught in the opposition’s defense. He unintentionally assisted a former Lazio player’s goal. Despite a strong start with five goals in six league games, his form dipped. In the Europa League, he scored 5 goals in 6 matches, blanking only against Slavia Prague, but in Serie A, he is struggling. Lukaku only scored against Napoli, failing against other top teams. Fans expected more from his high-profile arrival, but De Rossi defended him post-match, downplaying the incidents.
WITHOUT GOALS
When the heat is on, Lukaku vanishes. The challenge against Inter epitomizes a crisis lingering for weeks, with three goals in the last ten games. In between, he received a red card against Fiorentina. A straight red picked up three minutes from time. The scoreline reads 15 goals in 29 matches in all competitions, nine of those in the league. In the second half, Pellegrini set him up perfectly, but he squandered it miserably, getting caught up in confusion. In that moment, the Lukaku of a couple of years ago would have chilled Sommer with a left-footed stiletto. But this year is a different story.
