Morocco beat Belgium 2-0 and moved to the top of Group F their opponents Belgium are now fighting to qualify for the next round. Morocco overcame a slow start to have the better chances in the final third, goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhial gave the Atlas Lions their third win in the history of this tournament. Morocco is now in first place with four points but Belgium still has work to do to get into the next round of 16. Their fate will only be in their own hands if Croatia loses to Canada.
In contrast to their last game against Canada, Belgium showed off their skills early on when Michy Batshuayi finished a well-coordinated team move with a shot that was blocked by Munir Mohamedi. The Red Devils didn’t have many clear chances but Amadou Onana should have done better with a header after beating Mohamedi to a corner kick. Just after 20 minutes Morocco finally stepped up the tempo when Hakim Ziyech sent a swerving shot from a long distance just over the crossbar. As the first half went by Morocco became the more dangerous but Achraf Hakimi missed a great chance when he found space in the penalty area and fired a shot that was way off target.
Walid Regragui’s team thought they had taken the lead when Thibaut Courtois deflected Ziyech’s free kick into the goal at the end of the first 45 minutes. But Romain Saiss was slightly offside even though he didn’t touch the ball. He changed the situation by running into Courtois’s line of sight, which caused the goal to be called off. After the break, both teams came out strong. Ziyech forced Courtois to make a routine save, and then Eden Hazard made a chance for himself on the right side of the penalty area, forcing Mohamedi to save at his near post.
Back on the other side, Sofiane Boufal was the next to come close, but his shot for the far corner didn’t curve enough. Shortly after coming on as a substitute, Dries Mertens should have done better with a shot from 20 yards. After the break, both teams came out strong. Ziyech forced Courtois to make a routine save, and then Eden Hazard made a chance for himself on the right side of the penalty area, forcing Mohamedi to save at his near post. Back on the other side, Sofiane Boufal was the next to come close, but his shot for the far corner didn’t curve enough. Shortly after coming on as a substitute, Dries Mertens should have done better with a shot from 20 yards.
