Morocco have joined one of the few teams to cause upsets at the 2022 World Cup after sealing a well-deserved 2-0 win over Belgium.
The Red Devils came into this match at Al Thumama Stadium with a narrow 1-0 win over Canada in their last match. The Atlas Lions meanwhile held Croatia to a goalless draw.
The first chance of the match fell to Michy Batshuayi who drilled in a shot in the fifth minute. His effort was however saved by Morocco goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi – who replaced regular face Yassine Bounou after he picked up an injury during the pre-match warm-up.
There was little action for much of the first half but Batshuayi had the opportunity to find the back of the net in the 32nd minute after combining well with Thomas Meunier but Munir was again quick to react.
Morocco’s first chance of the match fell to Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi from inside the penalty area but his strike could only go off target. The Atlas Lions thought that they had scored their first goal of the ongoing World Cup when Hakim Ziyech sent in a fantastic free kick from the edge of the box in added time of the first half, however VAR ruled it out for offside. The Chelsea winger had another opportunity to score just five minutes after the restart but Thibaut Courtois, in goal for Belgium, was able to keep it out.
Former Blues star Eden Hazard rekindled his days of old not long after, attempting some great dribbles into the box before pulling the trigger. Munir however needed to be alert to keep it out. The Moroccans had their own moment of brilliance, Sofiane Boufal skipping past some opposition players but his dragged shot narrowly missed going into the net. Munir then made a brilliant save in the 65th minute, denying Dries Mertens from netting a beautiful goal.
The floodgates finally opened in the 73rd and it fell to the Moroccans, Abdelhamid Sabiri whipping in an audacious free kick which Courtois should have dealt with. It become 2-0 in added time. Ziyech – who was having a great game – played a nice ball to the feet of the Zakaria Aboukhlal, the Toulouse forward planting it into the top right corner of the net.
The victory keeps Morocco’s hopes of making it into the Round of 16 alive with a final group match against Canada to come. The Belgians meanwhile will be upset they could not seal their spot in the next round with a victory and will have it all to do in their next game against Croatia.
