Doha: Morocco take second-half lead after shocking Belgium in FIFA World Cup. Substitute Al Sabiri scored the goal in the 73rd minute. Sabiri’s free kick made the Belgian goalkeeper a spectator and hit the Belgian net. The first half of the match was goalless. In the 44th minute Morocco hit the back of the net, but the assistant referee controlled the ball and found it offside. Belgium dominated the match in the first half.
In the 12th minute Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick was cleared by the Moroccan defenders. Even though Belgium won more than one corner kick in the opening minutes, they all showed the strength of Morocco’s defence. Thorgan Hazard’s free kick for Belgium in the 16th minute went to his brother Eden Hazard. The ball was passed to Kevin De Bruyne but the move went into another corner. Amadou Onana headed in a Belgium corner, but also missed the post.
After the 19th minute of play, Belgium’s ball possession was 79%. Belgium had four shots at the Moroccan post. In the 27th minute, against the tide, the Moroccan player Achraf Hakimi receives the ball in the Belgian area, but the ball ends up over the crossbar. Even after the first 40 minutes, neither Belgium nor Morocco managed to score. In the last minute (44) of the first half, Morocco shocked Belgium but didn’t concede a goal. Morocco striker Hakim Ziyech scored the goal. But the referee disallowed the goal as it was deemed offside.
14 of the 26 matches played so far in the Qatar World Cup have been goalless in the first half. After defeating all of Belgium’s goal attempts in the first half, Morocco also started trying to shake the net in the second half. In the 48th minute, Moroccan Ziech’s free-kick didn’t threaten the Belgian defence. In the second half both teams went ahead with more attacks. In the 54th minute, Moroccan player Amrabat grabbed Thorgan Hazard’s cross from the left. Belgian Michy Batshuayi attempted an aerial ball in the 64th minute when the referee raised the offside flag. Belgium and Morocco sent their second-half substitutes down with a goal to score. Morocco has benefited from this. Substitute Al Sabiri scored the goal in the 73rd minute. The player entered the field to play in the 68th minute.
Belgium are facing Morocco with the record of never losing against an African country in the World Cup. When the two teams met in a friendly in 2008, Morocco won 4-1. This is also Belgium’s 50th match at the World Cup.
English summary: FIFA World Cup 2022, Belgium vs Morocco Match Live Update
