"We saw him in the first 20 minutes" - France defender claims Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku "disappeared" during Nations League semi-final

Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has been on the receiving end of a dig from Theo Hernandez after the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League. Hernandez and Lukaku faced off against each other as France and Belgium contested the second semi-final on Thursday.

Despite taking a two-goal lead through Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku in the first half, Belgium ended up succumbing to a 3-2 defeat. Karim Benzema initiated the comeback for France after the hour mark, before Kylian Mbappe found the equalizer from the penalty spot.

With the game tied at 2-2, there was huge drama that unfolded at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Romelu Lukaku had a goal disallowed before Hernandez sealed the win for France in the 90th minute. Les Bleus were jubiliant after the win and in the aftermath of becoming the deciding factor for his team, Hernandez aimed a dig at Romelu Lukaku.

Speaking after the game, as cited by journalist Loic Tanzi, Hernandez stated:

"We know Lukaku, he is strong. But we saw him in the first 20 minutes, after that he disappeared."

The claim from Hernandez seemed slightly harsh considering Romelu Lukaku found the back of the net in the 40th minute in style. Following a clever run in behind, the Chelsea star fired a shot into the back of the net from a narrow angle to double the advantage for Belgium.

If not for an offside in the build-up by Carrasco, Romelu Lukaku could have sealed a win for Belgium later in the game. Ultimately, Hernandez had the last laugh as he netted the winner and earned the bragging rights.

---

Chelsea fans were thrilled by Romelu Lukaku's performance

Quite contrastingly, the Chelsea fans who tuned in to watch Romelu Lukaku in the UEFA Nations League semi-final were thrilled. The Blues faithful issued the need to emulate a similar system to that of Belgium, which brings the best out of Romelu Lukaku.

In addition to heaping the praise on Romelu Lukaku, one Chelsea fan went on to rate him as the best ever Belgian footballer.

Romelu Lukaku is expected to be involved again as Belgium face Italy in a clash for third-place in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday. Chelsea, meanwhile, need to wait until October 16 to recall him to their line-up. Thomas Tuchel and company mark their return from the international break with a Premier League outing away from home at Brentford.