Morocco Player Ratings: Ziyech and Hakimi brilliant as Atlas Lions upset Belgium - World Cup Update
Morocco Player Ratings: Ziyech and Hakimi brilliant as Atlas Lions upset Belgium - World Cup Update
Morocco powered themselves to a surprise victory after beating Belgium 2-0 in a World Cup group stage game on Sunday.
The Africans claimed the vital victory after Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal's second-half goals.
Sabiri’s opener was Morocco’s first-ever direct free-kick goal at the World Cup.
The game was was also the first time that the Atlas Lions recorded consecutive clean sheets at the World Cup since 1986.
The goals sparked wild celebrations at the Al Thumama Stadium as Morocco picked up a victory that significantly boosts their chances of progressing to the Round of 16.
Munir Mohamedi 8/10
He came on for Yassine Bounou and did not disappoint in goal.
Made a good save to deny Mitchy Batshuayi, who had been released by Thorgan Hazard in the sixth minute. The goalkeeper was also at ease and collected a low drive by Thomas Meunier.
He managed to pull off a decisive save in the 65th minute when Dries Mertens, who beat a number of Moroccan defenders, attempted to score from close range.
Achraf Hakimi 9/10
He did well to man-mark Eden Hazard, and this limited Belgium’s source of creativity in the final third.
Hakimi was also quick to join the attack, and in the 26th minute, he won an aerial ball and passed it to Selim Amallah, whose shot went high as he was partially blocked from having a full view of the goal area.
Before he was substituted, he had managed to close the space on his wing and denied Belgium chances to launch persistent attacks.
Romain Saiss 8.5/10
He made a vital tackle that brought De Bruyne down in the 10th minute. Had he not taken the decision to confront the Belgian, the Manchester City man could have caused havoc in Morocco's penalty box.
As the captain, he led by example, cleared aerial balls, tackled key Belgian players, and produced defense-splitting passes that the opponents found hard to deal with.
Nayef Aguerd 8.5/10
The centre-back was in the right place to clear De Bruyne's free-kick in the 10th minute when Belgium won a set-piece just outside the box.
Throughout the game, he and Saiss stood firm, and Belgium found it really hard to find a way past him.
Noussair Mazraoui 7.5/10
Although his wing was quite in the opening minutes as Belgium preferred attacking from the right wing, Mazraoui stood tall in the moments he was confronted by the opponents.
He was not dragged out of position by the clever Belgian tactics as he manned the left-back position with the keenness of a hawk.
Azzedine Ounahi 8/10
He was a dominant figure in the midfield just like Amrabat and gave the Atlas Lions an incredible fighting chance, especially by going forward.
Ounahi frustrated De Bruyne and Amadou Onana, who were expected to be Belgium's great sources of creativity in the final third.
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