Wayne Lumbasi
Morocco pulled off another shock at the World Cup on Sunday, beating Belgium 2-0 to leave Kevin de Bruyne and the 2018 semifinalists in peril of a group-stage exit.
Substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri got one past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois by whipping in a free kick from a tight angle at the near post in the 73rd minute for Morocco’s first goal. Zakaria Aboukhlal then guided a shot into the roof of the net off a pass from Hakim Ziyech in stoppage time.
Belgium, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Brazil, had won its last seven group games at the World Cup. It was Morocco’s first win at a World Cup since 1998 and only its third ever.
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.
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.
