In the absence of its last bastion, Yassine Bounou, and with physically diminished executives, such as Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui, the Moroccan team was heroic against its Belgian counterpart to get a well-deserved victory by two goals to 0, Sunday at the Al Thumama stadium in Doha, for the 2nd day of group F of the World Cup Qatar 2022.
Thanks to the victory against Belgium, Morocco is closer to the round of 16 of the Qatari World Cup and now has its destiny in its hands before its last game of the group stage, next Thursday against Canada. On the other hand, Croatia beat Canada 4-1 and takes the lead in the group with a better goal difference.
Here is the classification of the group of Morocco:
Ranking: Pts J G N P bp bc dif
1. Croatia 4 2 1 1 0 4 1 3
2. Morocco 4 2 1 1 0 2 0 2
3. Belgium 3 2 1 0 1 1 2 -1
4. Canada 0 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4
Morocco will therefore be qualified if…
It beats Canada (it will have 7 points and will finish 1st or 2nd)
He draws against Canada (he will have 5 points and will finish 1st or 2nd)
Croatia beats Belgium (Belgium will not have more points than Morocco)
Belgium-Croatia draw and Morocco does not lose by more than 3 goals
To come back to the match, against a Belgian team, which had never lost a World Cup match against an African team (3 wins, 1 draw), the Atlas Lions played their chance to win the three points and sign a sensational exploit.
The Moroccan team was brilliant throughout the match and was very well organized and tactically disciplined, leaving Belgium in doubt and fumbling.
Carried by Moroccan supporters, who created the atmosphere in the stands, the men of Walid Regragui showed a fighting spirit to go for the victory in this match.
Despite a few Belgian chances, the national team never wavered, showing an admirable defensive solidity, like an unsinkable central hinge Saïss-Aguerd.
Walid Regragui’s team then took control of the match and continued to push for the lead. Thanks to the technical prowess of Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal, the Atlas Lions were dangerous on several occasions, giving the Belgian defenders cold sweats.
Despite the goal invalidated by the VAR for offside of Saïss, after a free kick of Ziyech at the end of the first half, the players of the national team knew how to keep their phlegm at the return of the locker room, to try to find the fault in the defense of the Red Devils, imposing their rhythm and showing themselves percussive to make the difference.
And their efforts finally paid off with a 73rd minute goal from Sampdoria’s Abdelhamid Sabiri, who came in five minutes earlier in place of Selim Amellah.
Walid Regragui’s coaching paid off with Abderrazzak Hamdallah and Zakaria Abou Khlal also coming on. The Toulouse FC player sealed the fate of the match by scoring the second goal of the Atlas Lions in the 90+2nd minute.
Belgium, which was unable to find solutions to the physical and tactical challenge imposed by Morocco, could not react, allowing its opponent of the day to spin towards victory.
With this historic feat against Belgium, which has remained at the top of the FIFA rankings for years, the Moroccan national team has made an entire nation proud, passionate about football.
Signing a performance of high quality and producing a seductive game, the national eleven impressed by its serenity and tactical rigor, suggesting the best for the rest of the competition.
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