Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech on target for Belgium, Morocco

Saturday’s slate of internationals produced two goals from Chelsea players, with Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech both finding the back of the net for Belgium and Morocco, respectively — though both coming up without victories in the end surprisingly.

World Cup semifinalists Morocco were playing their first competitive match since losing 2-1 to Croatia in the third place match, but they would end up starting their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification with another 2-1 defeat, this time to South Africa. Ziyech’s impressive second half strike on the stroke of the hour was only able to cut the deficit in half.

Belgium meanwhile were playing in their second competitive match since their last match at the World Cup, which incidentally was also against Croatia. But they were also held to a surprising result, managing just a 1-1 draw against Austria in Euro 2024 qualifying. Lukaku’s impressive second half strike on the stroke of the hour equalized for the home side, but they were unable to find a winner.

Perhaps they could’ve used a bit of Eden Hazard magic, but he was only on hand to celebrate his international retirement.

Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images