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World Cup 2022: Morocco caused the latest Shock after beating Belgium

 

Morocco defeated Belgium 2-0 in the tournament's latest upset with to goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal in the dying minutes.


With 17 minutes remaining, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a mistake that led to Sabiri's inswinging free-kick beating him at his near post.


The Moroccans capped a magnificent second-half performance by firing Aboukhlal's cutback into the roof of the net in stoppage time, but the entire Belgium team paid the price for a sluggish performance.

That sparked wild celebrations in the stands of Al Thumama Stadium from thousands of Morocco fans, who had created a raucous atmosphere from the start.

The result means Morocco move above Belgium to the top of Group F on four points, with Croatia and Canada meeting later on Sunday (16:00 GMT kick-off).

Few surprises had seemed on the cards early on. After surviving a high-tempo and helter-skelter approach from Canada – their first opponents in Group F – Belgium’s initial job this time was to break down Morocco’s massed defence.

They managed it within the first five minutes, when Thorgan Hazard sent Michy Batshuayi running clear, but he was denied by Munir Mohamedi, a late replacement in the Morocco goal after Bono was taken ill in the warm-up.

It seemed that would just be the start of some sustained Belgium pressure, but while they continued to dominate possession, further clear-cut chances were few and far between.

Roared on by their noisy fans, who were bouncing all around Al Thumama Stadium in great numbers, Morocco comfortably kept them at bay and began to grow into the game themselves.

They thought they had taken the lead just before half-time when Ziyech’s free-kick eluded Courtois, but the video assistant referee (VAR) showed Romain Saiss was offside and deemed to be interfering with play after running across the Belgium goalkeeper’s line of sight.

Roberto Martinez’s side did not improve after the break, only managing shots from distance from the ineffective Eden Hazard and substitute Dries Mertens.

Morocco, meanwhile, were becoming as lively as their supporters in the stands and went close to taking the lead when Sofiane Boufal cut in from the left and sent a shot bouncing wide.

They persisted in pressing, and they were rewarded when Sabiri's astute free kick discovered Courtois once more nodding off during a set-piece. There was not going to be a VAR reprieve to save him this time.


Before Aboukhlal completed a quick break and ensured a surprise victory for Belgium, Jan Vertonghen came the closest to tying the score.

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