Rijeka, Croatia, June 3 (Reuters Sports Service) - Belgium will be looking to ease expectations after their big away win against Croatia on Tuesday, a match in which Romelu Lukaku's goal gave the team a huge morale boost ahead of the World Cup finals.

Belgium's all-time leading scorer netted his 90th international goal in a 2-0 win, as both teams prepare for the World Cup, signaling a strong return for the team after a 12-month absence. He appears to have overcome a difficult season in which he played less than an hour of football with his club, Napoli.

Coach Rudi Garcia told reporters, "For him, this is absolutely fantastic. He lives to score goals. So, his success in finding the net is something that truly pleases us."

He added, "You also saw the reaction of his teammates, as everyone went to celebrate with him, and he undoubtedly deserves it."

He continued, "Our top scorer, our great goalscorer, is back scoring again, and that's fantastic. This goal gives him great confidence, but we must be careful. It's dangerous to rush things, and we have to prepare him step by step."

Lukaku had been suffering from a hamstring injury, and his last appearance was in early March.

Garcia warned, "Nevertheless, he has once again proven that he has gone further than we expected in the recovery process. In cases of long absence due to injury, things often go this way... You can be excellent at the beginning and then experience a setback afterward."

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans had capitalized on a defensive error to give Belgium the lead against the run of play, but the visitors looked much stronger in the second half, and Lukaku's stoppage-time goal added extra luster to the victory.

Veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne added, "I think it was a very even and tough game."

He continued, "We tested some plans, perhaps not necessarily with the aim of fully implementing everything at the World Cup. As a team, we were very cohesive and didn't give the opponent many opportunities. We are still looking for some things here and there, and there are aspects where we can perform better."

De Bruyne added, "This is a good start, but we have to stay calm. A lot of things can change, and there will be more difficult times during the World Cup. This team wants to approach things in a positive way."

Belgium will play a second friendly against Tunisia in Brussels on Saturday, before heading to the United States where they will meet Egypt in their opening Group G match in Seattle on June 15.