Belgium 0-2 Morocco: 5 talking points as Atlas Lions sink lackluster Red Devils to boost last-16 hopes | 2022 FIFA World Cup
Belgium were stunned 2-0 by a spirited Morocco side at the Al Thumama Stadium in their Group F encounter of the 2022 FIFA World Cup today (November 27).
Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal scored in the second half for the Atlas Lions, who are on the brink of reaching the round of 16.
Belgium, ranked second in the world, struggled to break down a stoic Moroccan side and never managed to create clear-cut chances.
The Red Devils even appeared to fall behind seconds before the break when Hakim Ziyech had the ball in the back of the net. However, they were handed a reprieve after the referee ruled it out for offside on Romain Saiss.
MOROCCO STUN BELGIUM FOR THEIR THIRD WIN IN WORLD CUP HISTORY 💥🇲🇦 https://t.co/iqDKUnntMN
However, Roberto Martinez's side refused to learn their lesson and continued to labor their way into the second period too.
Sabiri put Morocco in front directly from a free-kick in the 73rd minute. This prompted Belgium to commit bodies forward, only to leave acres of space behind.
The north African outfit then hit them on the break in stoppage time with Ziyech feeding Aboukhlal to fire home their second and put the contest to bed.
Like many other games, this one too ended goalless at the break. However, we have yet another upset in the end and one that Moroccan fans will remember forever.
With this result, Walid Regragui's side find themselves second in their group with four points and on the edge of the last 16. This could be confirmed with a win over Canada in their last game on December 1.
Belgium, however, are under immense pressure now as they face Croatia in their last game in what could be a do-or-die clash for them. Here are the five talking points from the match:
#5 Another upset at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup has been strange in many ways, with several big sides struggling to hit their best and crumbling to shock defeats.
Before this one, we had seen Argentina go down 2-1 to Saudi Arabia and Japan beat Germany 2-1. Costa Rica then triumphed 1-0 over Samurai Blue earlier today.
Morocco's stunning 2-0 victory over Belgium has now been added to the growing list of upsets at this tournament. Given the way the latter were playing today, this had been coming.
#4 Belgium were all sizzle, no steak
This was truly a disappointing performance from Belgium. However, they had 67% possession, 10 shots and nearly twice as many passes as their opponents, which makes their result look much worse.
The Red Devils, for all their star-studded squad, struggled to break down a resolute Moroccan side. This is despite Kevin de Bruyne and Thorgan Hazard working hard from the wings.
Things opened up a little after the break, but even then, Roberto Martinez's side were a long way from conjuring a clear-cut opportunity. They squandered their chances from set-pieces. Belgium had a staggering nine corners in the match but failed to convert even one.