Morocco took a massive stride towards qualification for the round of 16 after a historic 2-0 win over Belgium, and only their third ever World Cup win. Morocco showed great resolve to keep Belgium at bay for a majority of the game on Sunday and took the lead through substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri’s free kick in the 73rd minute. The final 20 minutes saw Belgium ramp up the pressure in search of a goal but Walid Regragui’s side held on firmly and went down the other end to double their lead in injury time through Zakaria Aboukhlal. It was a raucous atmosphere at Al Thumama Stadium, with the 44,000 sellout crowd predominantly made up of Morocco fans. Roared on by this sea of red and green, Morocco gave its fans an evening that they’ll never forget. Earlier, Morocco were dealt a blow after the national anthems when goalkeeper Yassine Bounou appeared to gesture he would not be able to play. Belgium dominated the early exchanges but clear cut chances were at a premium. Morocco found the back of the net through Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick late in the half but had it disallowed after Romain Saïss was adjudged to be offside. Sofiane Boufal almost broke the deadlock in the 57th minute after a jinking run but bent the ball narrowly wide of the far post. Martinez made two changes on the hour mark, replacing the ineffective Hazard with Dries Mertens and bringing on Youri Tielemans for Amadou Onana in midfield. Mertens almost made an immediate impact when his strike from just outside the area was beaten away by Munir. The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute when Sabiri’s smart freekick just five minutes after coming on outfoxed Courtois to spark scenes of unbridled joy. Belgium threw all caution to wind in their pursuit of an equaliser and in injury time, Morocco broke on the counter and Hakim Ziyech squared the ball for Aboukhal, who fired into the top corner. It was Morocco’s third win at a World Cup and sends them top of Group F. If they avoid defeat in their final game against Canada, they’ll seal their spot in the round of 16 for only the second time in their history. Up against 2018 finalists Croatia in their final group game, Belgium’s qualification to the Round of 16 is now in jeopardy.
