Belgium-Morocco | World Cup Qatar 2022: direct and chronic

Morocco gave this Sunday another of the great surprises of the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar. The team led by Walid Regragui beat Belgium 0-2 in a match in which they went from less to more and in which they ended up punishing the apathy of the European team. A goal from Sabiri from a direct free kick and another from Aboukhlal in the final stretch were enough to add three fundamental points and to turn a group in which Belgium and Croatia started as favorites and in which there is now a surprise guest. Morocco is one step away from reaching the round of 16, something it has not achieved since 1986.

With excessive respect. This is how Belgium and Morocco came out onto the pitch at Al Thumama Stadium. The Europeans achieved victory in their debut, while the Africans scratched a valuable draw against Croatia. This circumstance meant that the tie was not bad for anyone and that was noticed in a shock start at idle. Roberto Martínez’s team came out with the Hazards at the controls, with Castagne on foot changed to dry the Achraf-Ziyech duo and with possession of the ball by flag.

Almost 70% of the time the Red Devils had the ball in the first half but they did so without the necessary depth to damage their rival and without aim on the two occasions they had. Batshuayi and Meunier weren’t right to beat Munir, the starter in goal at the last minute, and neither was Achraf in a one-on-one on the run that ended up wide. Yes, Ziyech did it in a direct free kick but Saiss’s position, offside, deprived Regragui’s men of going ahead at halftime.

After the resumption, the trend of the first half was accentuated. Morocco had not only balanced the clash, but now they had also become a vertical team, which easily surpassed the lines proposed by Belgium and which put Courtois in trouble with two diagonals from Ziyech and Boufal, very participative after passing through changing rooms.

‘Bob’ Martínez did not wait any longer and shook the shaker with the entry of Tielemans and Mertens, two changes that did not take effect and that attended first-hand the goal that unbalanced the match definitively. Sabiri put a cross shot modeled on Ziyech’s in the first half and stunned Courtois to open the scoring. The goal turned Al Thumama Stadium upside down, which by then seemed like Al Alhy’s stronghold before the crowd of Moroccan fans, and was a point and followed for the final firecracker. Ziyech dribbled past his pair and put the ball back to Aboukhlal to complete the crush of Regragui’s men who have four points after facing Croatia and Belgium and are one step away from reaching the round of 16.