Late Morocco goals seal stunning win over Belgium

Morocco caused the latest shock at a World Cup that has been full of surprises by beating Belgium thanks to late goals by Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal.

But the whole Belgium side paid the price for a ponderous performance, with Morocco capping a magnificent second-half display when Aboukhlal fired Hakim Ziyech’s cutback into the roof of the net in stoppage time.

That sparked wild celebrations in the stands of Al Thumama Stadium from thousands of Morocco fans, who had created a raucous atmosphere from the start.

The result means Morocco move above Belgium to the top of Group F on four points, with Croatia and Canada meeting later on Sunday (16:00 GMT kick-off).

Few surprises had seemed on the cards early on. After surviving a high-tempo and helter-skelter approach from Canada – their first opponents in Group F – Belgium’s initial job this time was to break down Morocco’s massed defence.

They managed it within the first five minutes, when Thorgan Hazard sent Michy Batshuayi running clear, but he was denied by Munir Mohamedi, a late replacement in the Morocco goal after Bono was taken ill in the warm-up.

It seemed that would just be the start of some sustained Belgium pressure, but while they continued to dominate possession, further clear-cut chances were few and far between.

Roared on by their noisy fans, who were bouncing all around Al Thumama Stadium in great numbers, Morocco comfortably kept them at bay and began to grow into the game themselves.

They thought they had taken the lead just before half-time when Ziyech’s free-kick eluded Courtois, but the video assistant referee (VAR) showed Romain Saiss was offside and deemed to be interfering with play after running across the Belgium goalkeeper’s line of sight.

Roberto Martinez’s side did not improve after the break, only managing shots from distance from the ineffective Eden Hazard and substitute Dries Mertens.

Morocco, meanwhile, were becoming as lively as their supporters in the stands and went close to taking the lead when Sofiane Boufal cut in from the left and sent a shot bouncing wide.

They kept coming forward and got their reward when Sabiri’s clever free-kick found Courtois dozing at a set-piece again. This time, there was to be no VAR reprieve to save him.

The closest Belgium came to an equaliser was when Jan Vertonghen headed wide, before Aboukhlal made sure of a stunning victory by finishing off a swift break.

More to follow.

Get the latest results and goal notifications for any team at the Fifa World Cup by downloading the BBC Sport app: Apple – Android – Amazon

Get your daily dose of Fifa World Cup reaction, debate & analysis with World Cup Daily on BBC Sounds