Abdelhamid Sabiri scored from an audaciously tight angle and fellow substitute Zakaria Aboukhlal added a second in stoppage time as Morocco pulled off a shock 2-0 win over Belgium in World Cup Group F on Sunday.
Only Morocco’s third victory in the World Cup finals was secured in the 73rd minute when Sabiri’s free kick from close to the corner flag surprised Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at the near post.
Hakim Ziyech set up Aboukhlal’s goal on the counterattack as Belgium was caught rushing for the equalizer.
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Few surprises had seemed on the cards early on. After surviving a high-tempo and helter-skelter approach from Canada – their first opponents in Group F – Belgium’s initial job this time was to break down Morocco’s massed defence.
They managed it within the first five minutes, when Thorgan Hazard sent Michy Batshuayi running clear, but he was denied by Munir Mohamedi, a late replacement in the Morocco goal after Bono was taken ill in the warm-up.
Ziyech’s free kick missed everyone in the penalty area and caught Courtois off guard, giving the North Africans another opportunity to score with the final kick of the first half. However, a VAR review revealed that skipper Romain Saiss had been just slightly offside.
It seemed that would just be the start of some sustained Belgium pressure, but while they continued to dominate possession, further clear-cut chances were few and far between.
Roared on by their noisy fans, who were bouncing all around Al Thumama Stadium in great numbers, Morocco comfortably kept them at bay and began to grow into the game themselves.
Roberto Martinez’s side did not improve after the break, only managing shots from distance from the ineffective Eden Hazard and substitute Dries Mertens.
Morocco moved on to four points from two games with Belgium, second in the world rankings, on three. Canada and Croatia were meeting later in Sunday’s other Group F match.
