Roberto Martinez's side fall to a shock defeat against the North Africans
The World Cup in Qatar just witnessed another major upset as Belgium lost 0-2 to Morocco on Sunday the 27th of November. Goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal were enough to leapfrog the Red Devils in Group F before the last matchday.
Belgium had the upper hand in the initial stages of the contest as the Moroccan goalkeeper, Munir El Kajoui, was forced into making a save off Michy Batshuayi in the 5th minute. Just before half-time, Hakim Ziyech appeared to have given the lead for Atlas Lions with a free kick, but on VAR's review, it was ruled out for an offside decision.
In the second half, Belgium had their chances to score as El Kajoui stopped Eden Hazard's and Dries Mertens' shots on target. But it was Morocco who drew first blood in the 73rd minute as skipper Romain Saiss scored from close range after appearing to have made contact with the ball from a Abdelhamid Sabiri free kick. The North Africans added their second goal in stoppage time as substitute Zakaria Aboukhlal finished from close range past Thibaut Courtois.
Morocco's victory meant that they won a game at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since the 1998 edition. Should the Atlas Lions win their final group game against Canada, they will make it to the knockout stages for the first time since 1986. Meanwhile, Belgium must win against Croatia if they are to qualify for the Round of 16.