Morocco’s shock victory over Belgium was not the biggest upset of the World Cup. In fact, it may not even be the biggest surprise of the day.
However, it appears to be one of the biggest upsets in Moroccan history. It can also be one of the most influential.
Morocco’s two goals in the second half may become the Atlas Lions’ main catalyst for a deep run in the final rounds of the World Cup.
Not only did they show their power in front of a frenzied Doha crowd and send a message to the rest of the world, they showed that their attack was not stalled (unlike other African nations). Their victory showed the talent they have and the deep run they can make as an appointment with Canada looms.
Ziyech leads Morocco to victory
Nobody expected Morocco to give Belgium a hard time; much less beat them. However, that was what they did at the beginning of the first half. Despite the looming threat of Belgium’s infamous counter-attacks, Morocco still had early chances.
Achraf Hakimi fired narrowly over Thibaut Courtois and the crossbar, and Ziyech nearly scored a big free-kick before VAR intervened. But there was still the definite belief that Morocco could break through and score among some hopeful fans.
And finally, Morocco scored the first goal of the match. After Thomas Meunier fouled a Moroccan defender on the left flank, Abdelhamid Sarid fired a smooth free kick into the bottom left corner, catching Courtois off his line and giving Morocco a big lead.
Belgium’s chances of equalizing grew as the clock ticked down on 90 minutes. Jan Vertonghen nearly scored with a powerful header, but his attempt fell just to the left of the goal. With time running out, Belgium decided to throw the midfield into the box, which ended disastrously.
Munir took advantage of Belgium’s high lines and hit Ziyech with a great goal kick, which threw the defenders off balance.
The Chelsea winger slipped the ball to Zakaria Aboukhlal, who placed his shouting shot just out of Courtois’ reach to double Morocco’s lead. Morocco 2, Belgium 0.
Munir saves the day
Morocco would probably be down 3-0 if not for the herculean efforts of Al-Wehda goalkeeper Munir. He made a series of good saves to keep Belgium off the scoreboard, including monster saves against Eden Hazard and Michy Batshuayi.
His performance was marred by an unfortunate mix-up a few seconds before the match was due to start. Yassine Bounou, Sevilla star and regular first-choice goalkeeper, was seen singing the national anthem and shaking hands with Belgium. However, when the game started, it took BBC commentators 38 minutes to realize that Bono was not in goal.
It caught many by surprise, especially the television pundits who falsely credited Bono for Munir’s incredible saves. Officials confirmed that Bono had an eye problem seconds before the game began and had to leave for the game.
If Bono can’t make it to the end of Morocco’s group stage against Canada, Munir proved to be an above-average replacement. Crucial saves from him kept Morocco in the game, and his great goal kick gave Morocco their final goal to seal the game.
Morocco’s side game leaves En-Nesyri out
For much of the match, Youssef En-Nesyri was on an island. It doesn’t matter how many runs he made, how far he fell behind in midfield, or even if he was open in the box; En-Nesyri might look like he gets the ball.
He only had 12 touches in 73 minutes, nearly a fifth of Ziyech’s total touches. The side-oriented Moroccan offense left En-Nesyri without the ball. Although it worked, the Sevilla forward was not a great reason for him to do it.
It has been a trend for En-Nesyri. He only had 21 touches in 81 minutes against Croatia, and only 13 touches in 67 minutes against Chile. He scored against Georgia, but it may have been because Ziyech was forced to play a part in Morocco’s 3-4-3.
En-Nesyri was frustrated. Early in the second half, she tried to connect runs with Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal, but didn’t get much of the ball. She made wild gestures and heavy sighs when she couldn’t hit the offense.
When Abderrazak Hamdallah came on for him in the 73rd minute, he seemed less than pleased. Canada’s strong centrals could further frustrate him if Morocco looks to the flanks for inspiration.
Photo credit: IMAGO / MexSport Agency
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