FIFA World Cup: Moroccans join the party; beat Belgium for another big upset

DOHA, November 27

Morocco claimed their first World Cup victory in 24 years as they upset a hugely disappointing Belgium side 2-0 with goals by Romain Saiss and substitute Zakaria Aboukhlal in a boiling atmosphere today. The Morocco fans gave the match a vintage World Cup feel at the Al Thumama Stadium.

It was Morocco’s first win at a World Cup since they beat Scotland in 1998. They left the 2018 tournament with a single point. “We played against one of the best teams in the world with big players, but we know that if you don’t give 100%, it is impossible to win. With these players and these fans, anything is possible,” said Morocco coach Walid Regregui, whose team have not conceded a goal in five games since he took over in September.

After 70 minutes some of our players were tired, but the way the crowd got behind us, they really helped us. They gave us a big boost. —Hakim Ziyech, Morocco’s player of the match

24Morocco earned their first World Cup victory in 24 years. Their previous win had come against Scotland in 1998

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Belgium, who had scraped a 1-0 win over Canada in their opening game, again looked a pale shadow of the team that finished third in 2018 and climbed to second in the world rankings. They must now battle for a last-16 spot against Croatia. “It’s a difficult result. We couldn’t get our game going. It’s a game we need to understand; we need to be together and react. That’s what happens at the World Cup,” said Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

The Red Devils’ poor display even forced Martinez to send Romelu Lukaku on for the last 10 minutes in a desperate attempt to salvage a point, even though the burly striker had been struggling with a hamstring problem.

In a lively start, Morocco looked happy to sit and wait amid the deafening whistles of their fans, although bouts of intense pressing led to a couple of dangerous counter-attacks with Ziyech the main threat.

Boiled over

As Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne struggled to find his range and Eden Hazard remained largely ineffective, Morocco looked safe.

Courtois was beaten for the first time in the tournament when Ziyech fired a free-kick into the pack and it bounced past the keeper at the near post on the stroke of halftime.

Saiss, however, was marginally offside and referee Carlos Ramos ruled the goal out after a VAR review as the Besiktas defender was obstructing Courtois’ view.

Morocco started to fancy their chances and were more on the attack. Morocco substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri whipped in an angled free-kick similar to the one that led to the ruled-out goal in the first half, and Courtois could only fumble the ball into the net. Saiss was also in the way, but onside this time, and he was later credited with getting a touch to score the goal.

Morocco defended tooth and nail until they found another opening two minutes into stoppage time, with Aboukhlal clipping Ziyech’s cross into the roof of the net as the stadium boiled over.

Some players kneeled down and put their heads to the ground in prayer with a sea of Morocco flags in the background, while others were waving Saudi and Palestinian flags in a show of pan-Arab support. — Reuters

Riots in Brussels

Brussels: Police had to seal off parts of the centre of Brussels, deploy water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds following violence during and after Morocco’s 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup. Dozens of rioters set steps on fire and pelted cars with bricks. Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries, said a police spokesperson. Brussels’ mayor urged football fans to stay away from the city centre and said authorities were doing their utmost to keep order in the streets. Even subway and tram traffic had to be interrupted on police orders. Morocco’s victory was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian cities. AP