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Superstar Kevin De Brune could not avoid defeat
Photo:
Bruno Fahy / dpa
Group F at the World Cup in Qatar is still open.
On the second day of the game, Belgium missed the chance to advance to the round of 16 with a 0-2 (0-0) win against Morocco.
Abdelhamid Sabiri (73 minutes) and Zakaria Aboukhlal (90+2) scored for the Moroccans.
The defeat moves Belgium to second place with three points behind Morocco (four points).
Croatia (one point) and Canada (zero) will play against each other in the early evening (5 p.m., TV: ARD).
On the last group game day on 1.12.
there is a duel between Belgium and Croatia, while Canada meets Morocco (4 p.m., TV: ARD).
The game was only decided in the final quarter of an hour.
Morocco were awarded a free kick on the left, almost at the baseline.
Thibaut Courtois was in the center of the Belgian goal and a few steps in front of the line – so Sabiri took the ball sharply to the short corner and surprised Courtois (73').
In injury time, Zakaria Aboukhlal even made it 2-0 for Morocco (90+2) after assists from Hakim Ziyech.
Previously, the Belgians had problems in the build-up game against aggressively defending Moroccans.
The favorite often pushed the ball around the back and only got into the attacking third via the outside.
Michy Batshuayi fired the first shot, which was denied by Moroccan goalkeeper Monir El Kajoui from a tight angle (5').
The keeper slipped into the starting XI just a few minutes before kick-off.
As in the controversial 1-0 win against Canada, Belgium struggled, the best scene was a flick from BVB professional Thomas Meunier from the inside left position (19th).
In the 33rd minute, the winger could have fed Eden Hazard free in the penalty area, but chose the sharp cross in front of goal, which was intercepted.
Morocco's 1-0 is initially denied
Achraf Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain became dangerous for the Moroccans when he shot from a tight angle (35th).
The ball landed first in the Belgian goal when Ziyech smashed a free-kick into the penalty area from the right.
Nobody touched the ball that landed in the goal (45+2).
But the goal didn't count: Morocco captain Romain Saïss had tried to reach the ball from offside and apparently influenced Belgium goalkeeper Courtois.
The action was rated as an active intervention, it remained at 0:0 for the time being.
Belgium remained harmless in the second round as well.
Unlike Morocco, for which Sofiane Boufal left Meunier in a one-on-one on the left and circled to the far corner.
The shot just missed.
Courtois would probably not have been able to get it (57th).
Dries Mertens fired another shot for Belgium after coming on as a substitute (65'), but it was aimed too centrally before Sabiri gave Morocco the lead.
The substitution of star striker Romelu Lukaku, who was injured for a long time this season, could not prevent Belgium's defeat.
mrk
