At the World Cup in Qatar, Belgium is only a shadow of past tournaments. The World Cup third in 2018 deservedly lost 0: 2 (0: 0) against Morocco on Sunday and thus missed the early entry into the round of 16. Unlike their flattering opening win over Canada, the Belgians were punished this time for a sluggish and uninspired performance. After the free kick by former Paderborn player Abdelhamid Sabiri in the 73rd minute and a late goal by Zakaria Aboukhlal (90+2), they now even have to worry about progressing.
In any case, the very committed and tactically much more disciplined Moroccans have already overtaken them in Group F. They now have it in their own hands to reach a World Cup round of 16 for the first time in 36 years. As is always the case when a European team meets North Africans like Tunisia or Morocco in Qatar, it felt like the Belgians had what felt like an away game at the Al Thumama Stadium in south-east Doha. More than two thirds of the 43,738 spectators supported the Moroccans at a sometimes deafening volume.
Bayern defender Noussair Mazraoui recovered in time for the underdogs after his hip injury from the first game (0-0 against Croatia). The Moroccans had to do without their strong goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. The number one of FC Sevilla was initially still on the line-up sheet and even sang the national anthem on the pitch, but then dropped out at short notice.
Martínez doesn’t seem to trust the new generation in his squad yet
Before the game, Morocco’s coach Walid Regragui had demanded that all African teams had to play in a much more European and therefore more results-oriented manner in order to be successful at a World Cup. And his team followed this strategy against the Belgians as well. Only in the first 20 minutes did it look as if they were giving the still prominent but noticeably aging offensive stars like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne a little too much space. But after that, the Moroccans became more and more courageous, without giving up their defensive order.
Former Dortmund’s Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain) fired a first warning shot in the 35th minute. And after a free kick by the second big star Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea FC), the ball even landed in the goal in injury time in the first half (45+2). But after the video evidence was used, the goal did not count because defender Romain Saiss was offside when he headed the ball.
The Belgians lacked the pace to create a comparable threat. Former HSV professional Amadou Onana disappointed as a replacement in central midfield, as did Dortmund’s Thomas Meunier on the right flank. And Eden Hazard could hardly get past Hakimi or Mazraoui to dribble.
In the 52nd minute, the Real Madrid captain forced Morocco’s reserve goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui to make a save. Less than ten minutes later, coach Roberto Martínez got him off the field. It is indicative of the Belgian team’s situation that 31-year-old Hazard has been replaced by 35-year-old Dries Mertens. Martínez doesn’t seem to trust the new generation in his squad yet.
Above all, this change had no effect on the game. Morocco remained the much more passionate and even better team in the second half. Even after their long-injured star striker Romelu Lukaku (81st) came on, the Belgians couldn’t think of anything else.
