Belgium grabbed Thibaut Courtois and luck to get the three points against Canada in his debut, but this Sunday lacked both against a Morocco who, in addition to believing in everything he does, has a lot of football and is opposed to being in the Round of 16 of the World Cup after win 0-2 with so many of Abdelhamid Sabiri in minute 73, taking advantage of an error by the Belgian goalkeeper, and by Zakaria Aboukhlal in the second minute of added time.
The game started weird. Bonothe Sevilla goalkeeper, lined up with the rest of his teammates to listen to the anthem, chanted by most of the Moroccan fans who gathered at the Al Thumama stadium, but in the team photo seconds later it was not.
He played as a starter Munir, who soon had to intervene. He beat Batshuayi in a one-on-one.
It was a warning that Belgium was going to show a more serious face than against Canada, although this time luck was not on their side. He dominated the ball, but it was difficult for him to generate static and also from set pieces. Three corner kicks ended up in Hazard’s boots on the second play. Bad signal with Witsel, Onana, Alderweireld and Vertonghen on the green.
De Bruyne and Hazard, stuck
The minutes passed and anxiety seized the Belgian footballers, who this Sunday They couldn’t find Kevin De Bruyne released either. He already said that he can’t play like he does at Manchester City, where every three days he proves to be among the best in the world, but it’s just that In this World Cup he is not showing his best version either.
Without his lighthouse, and with a Hazard that received a blow Every time he turned around, without the yellow cards for his rivals that he demanded in the previous match, Belgium got stuck. And it was Morocco that came closest to the goal.
What’s more, he even opened the scoring. But the Mexican collegiate César Arturo Ramos annulled the goal from a direct free kick by Hakim Ziyech because Romain Saiss, who intervened in the play by making as if to go for the ball, placing himself in Courtois’s field of vision, was offside.
An action that left Morocco hot on the way to the changing rooms. His coach, Walid Regragui, left applauding and with a face that the plan was going well for him. And his players only took 28 minutes to agree with him.
Roberto Martínez said that Courtois was the best goalkeeper in the world. It was decisive against Canada and that’s what Belgium grabbed to survive, but in a match with fewer cracks at the global level, It was precisely Courtois who failed.
Direct free-kick shot, from the side, from Abdelhamid Sabiri looking for the near post of the Belgian goalkeeper, who took a step forward waiting for the center and that condemned him. Also, Saiss reappeared to bother, starting from a legal position, and the 0-1 did remain on the scoreboard.
In case the large Moroccan fans needed something, they enjoyed the last few minutes as if they were hosting the World Cup. Belgium tried to get a tie more in fits and starts than with clear ideas. Romelu Lukaku made his World Cup debutwith ten minutes to see if he hunted any within the area, but he did not touch a chance.
If he did Zakaria Aboukhlalalready with Belgium overturned, in minute 92. Pass behind Ziyech and the Toulouse striker surpassed Courtois with a perfect definition. High shot attached to a stick.
A result that leaves Morocco with four points in Group F, Belgium with threeboth waiting for what happens in Croatia-Canada to make their speculations in search of the round of 16, but what is certain is that the third classified in Russia 2018 will experience three days of even more criticism until the match that will define his future in Qatar 2022.