Lukaku’s provocation leads to heated confrontation with Donnarumma

After Belgium's 0‑2 victory over Italy, a striking scene unfolded: Romelu Lukaku and Gianluigi Donnarumma got into a heated confrontation and were separated by teammates.

Various explanations for the gesture

Lukaku was picked on by the Italian crowd during the match and responded with a gesture towards the stands: he raised two fingers, formed a zero, and then placed a finger on his lips. The meaning of this gesture is unclear.

It suggests that Lukaku wanted to provoke the 0‑2 result, which made Donnarumma feel hurt and the striker sought him out after the match. An alternative reading, also from the Italian newspaper, links the gesture to the number of domestic titles of both players: Lukaku has titles with both Internazionale and Napoli, while Donnarumma did not win a Serie A title with AC Milan, a rivalry that adds extra charge.

Whatever the exact trigger was, the tension rose sharply after the match. Lukaku and Donnarumma faced each other and several players had to intervene. The referee eventually decided to give both players a yellow card.