Morocco caused the last shock of a World Cup full of surprises by beating Belgium thanks to late goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was at fault for the opening goal, inexplicably allowing Sabiri’s free-kick to beat him to the near post with 17 minutes to go.
But the whole Belgian side paid the price for a heavy performance, with Morocco capping off a magnificent second-half display when Aboukhlal unleashed Hakim Ziyech’s cut into the roof of the net in stoppage time.
This sparked wild celebrations in the stands of Al Thumama Stadium from thousands of Moroccan fans, who had created a raucous atmosphere from the start.
The result means Morocco overtake Belgium and top Group F with four points, with Croatia and Canada meeting later on Sunday (kicks off at 4:00 p.m. GMT).
Few surprises had seemed on the cards early on. After surviving a fast and disorderly approach from Canada – their first opponents in Group F – Belgium’s initial job this time was to break through Morocco’s massive defence.
They were successful in the opening five minutes, when Thorgan Hazard sent Michy Batshuayi through clear, but was denied by Munir Mohamedi, a late substitute in the Morocco goal after Bono fell ill in the warm-up.
It looked like it would only be the start of sustained Belgian pressure, but as they continued to dominate possession, further clean chances were rare.
Screamed by their raucous fans, who were bouncing around the Al Thumama stadium in large numbers, Morocco comfortably kept them at bay and began to grow in the game itself.
They thought they had taken the lead just before half-time when Ziyech’s free-kick slipped past Courtois, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed Romain Saiss was offside and deemed to be interfering with play after he crossed the line of sight of the Belgian goalkeeper.
Roberto Martinez’s side failed to improve after the break, managing only long shots from ineffective Eden Hazard and substitute Dries Mertens.
Morocco, meanwhile, were getting as lively as their supporters in the stands and were close to taking the lead when Sofiane Boufal cut in from the left and sent a shot that bounced wide wide.
They pushed on and got their reward when Sabiri’s clever free-kick again found Courtois drowsy from a free-kick. This time there had to be no VAR reprieve to save him.
Belgium’s closest to equalizing was when Jan Vertonghen fired wide, before Aboukhlal secured a blowout victory by finishing a fast break.
Belgium look second best
Stuttering victory for Belgium over Canada in their opener means their road to the last 16 is still open, albeit less straightforward than expected.
But it was another reminder that the generation of players who reached the World Cup semi-finals four years ago are nearing the end of the road.
They were scrappy going forward, with Batshuayi ineffective in attack and Romelu Lukaku just fit enough for an appearance in the dying moments.
Even Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne couldn’t add inspiration in midfield and, at the back, veteran pair Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were petrified by the pace of the attack. Morocco as their team continued the game.
They looked nothing like a team that was supposed to be ranked number two in the world and were placed second by Morocco, who sit 20 places below.
