November 27, (THEWILL) – On Sunday, at the Al Thumama Stadium, Morocco impressively defeated Belgium 2-0 in a World Cup match, thanks to an outstanding second-half effort.
With a win, Roberto Martinez’s team would have joined France as the second team to secure a spot in the knockout round, but the Red Devils came up short at the most crucial point of the second fixtures of Group F.
Hakim Ziyech’s goal from a free kick from the first half was overturned, and in the other post, Abdelhamid Sabiri’s goal in the second half placed Morocco on track for just their third victory in World Cup history.
After Ziyech’s excellent performance, the victory was subsequently assured in the game’s closing minutes when Zakaria Aboukhlal smashed home from close range, as the second Moroccan substitute to find the back of the net.
The African team now leads Group F by one point and they seem a very difficult team to beat given that they are unbeaten in their last three World Cup games, giving them an excellent chance of progressing to the round of 16. Now that Belgium faces Croatia in their final group game, qualifying will be difficult for their once-touted golden generation.
