DOHA-UNS- Another upset in FIFA World 2022 in Qatar. Substitutes Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal earned Morocco their first World Cup victory in 24 years as they upset a hugely disappointing Belgium side 2-0 in World Cup Group ‘F’ on Sunday.
Abdelhamid Sabiri had been on the pitch for a mere five minutes when Morocco won a free kick wide on the left, pretty close to the corner flag, against Belgium here at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The goal was at the acutest of angles but no one was stopping him from having a go.
Sabiri wrapped his right foot around the ball, curling it at pace and catching Thibaut Courtois out of surprise. The Belgium goalkeeper saw the shot go under him and into the back of the net. Sabiri’s teammates gathered around him and sank to the ground in prostration, the largely pro-Moroccan at the 44,000-capacity venue, its circular design reflecting the traditional woven cap worn by Arab men and boys, wild with joy.
Morocco have won just twice at the World Cup; their last victory came in 1998.
Leading 1-0, they now had 16 minutes to close out a famous win against a Belgium side, ranked second only to Brazil in the world. Belgium had opened their campaign in Qatar with a barely-deserved 1-0 win over Canada and knew a victory would take them through. Now they were fighting for a draw.
Roberto Martinez summoned Romelu Lukaku from his bench to turn the tide in his side’s favour. Instead, it was Morocco who scored to seal a historic win for their side in the second minute of time added on.
