Romelu Lukaku and his Belgium teammates booked a Euro 2020 quarter-final clash against Italy after beating Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 on Sunday.Thorgan Hazard scored the only goal of the game shortly before half-time, catching out Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio with a swerving strike from distance.Despite the best efforts of Cristiano Ronaldo, who remains the top scorer at Euro 2020, Portugal were unable to break down Roberto Martinez’s side.Lukaku was a constant handful over the course of the 90 minutes and was unfortunate not to end the match with either a goal or assist.p1f98u37tehqg58o1sn2q6a1qebd.jpgHis hold-up play and ability to get his team up the pitch, particularly during the closing stages of the game, was outstanding.At times, Portugal’s players simply couldn’t deal with the Inter Milan forward’s power and pace.

Lukaku tried to play on after having his shirt pulled

There was one moment in the first half where defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha attempted to stop a Lukaku-inspired counter-attack by pulling his shirt.

Lukaku, to his credit, played on and just about managed to pick out Eden Hazard with a pass.

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However, the move broke down almost immediately afterwards. Lukaku, Martinez and everyone else associated with the Belgium national team were left incensed with referee Felix Brych’s decision not to award the free-kick.

Watch the incident here…

The German match official clearly felt that Belgium had used their advantage as soon as Lukaku played the pass.

[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2019-07-19/"]

Gary Lineker: This is why players dive

But in the eyes of some, including former England striker Gary Lineker, justice wasn’t done.

In a tweet which has gone viral, the Match of the Day host wrote: “Lukaku being pulled back and refusing to fall down and then not getting a freekick is exactly why players dive. Referees need to reward honesty if it’s to change.”

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Indeed, footballers are often criticised whenever they dive, and understandably so.

But if players aren’t being awarded free-kicks when they try to play on after being fouled, who can blame them for resorting to simulation?

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Portugal and Ronaldo out of Euro 2020 - Reaction (Football Terrace)

The big fat Euro 2020 quiz