- Morocco defeated Belgium 2-0 at Al Thumama Stadium to get their third win at a World Cup.
- Belgium looked nothing like a team that is number two in the world during the Group F fixture.
Morocco stunned Belgium for their ponderous performance with a 2-0 win at a World Cup that has been full of surprises.
Goals by Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal sparked wild celebrations in the stands of Al Thumama Stadium that had Morocco fans.
Morocco remain undefeated after their first two World Cup fixtures. Photo/ CBS.
Morocco’s win means they have gone above Belgium in Group F. The African side have four points, while the Red Devils have three points.
Belgium, who are number two in the world as per the latest rankings, needed to defeat Morocco so as to have higher chances of progressing to the knockout stages.
Going into the match, Belgium players knew their only work on the pitch was to break down Morocco’s massed defence.
And they nearly found the back of the net within the first five minutes of the game as Thorgan Hazard sent Mitchy Batshuayi running. However, the former Chelsea attacker failed to convert the chance after being denied by Morocco’s substitute goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi.
Munir Mohamedi had replaced goalkeeper number one Yassine Bounou, who gestured he would not be able to play after the national anthems.
Belgium continued to dominate the game and attack after Batshuayi missed his chance. However, Morocco eventually got into the game, roared on by their noisy fans in the stands.
Just before halftime, Morocco thought they had taken the lead after Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick evaded the goalkeeper. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) judged Romain Saiss to be offside; hence the goal did not stand.
The game went into halftime when the score sheet was 0-0. Belgium showed no improvement at the start of the second half, and only Eden Hazard tried to find the back of the net with a wide attempt.
Morocco’s midfielder Sofiane Boufal nearly gave his side the lead in the 57th minute, but the ball went narrowly wide of the far post. The 29-year-old had initially made a good run towards Belgium’s box.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez Montoliu made two changes in the sixth minute, replacing the ineffective Eden Hazard with Dries Mertens and Amadou Onana with Youri Tielemans.
Mertens made a good attempt immediately after coming on, but his effort was fruitless in the end.
Morocco, on the other hand, became more lively in the second half, and their efforts eventually paid off in the 73rd minute as Romain Saiss scored a beautiful goal. Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was at fault for Morocco’s opener.
Belgium desperately attacked as they searched for the equalizer and were punished in the dying minutes of the game as Morocco broke on the counter. Zakaria Aboukhlal was the goalscorer.
Zakaria Aboukhlal scoring Morocco’s second goal. Photo/ Planet Sport.
Despite the loss, Belgium still have a chance of proceeding to the next round since they had won their first fixture of the group against Canada.
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