IT’S MOR THE MERRIER
Joy as goal heroes Sabiri and Aboukhlal stun Belgian superstars and fire Morocco to brink of last 16
FROM in Doha MOROCCO’S Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal rocked the Kasbah with the goals that secured a first World Cup win for 24 years.
The two substitutes scuppered Belgium in a dramatic late finale that threatened to take the roof off the Al Thumama Stadium.
Sabiri, the Sampdoria midfielder who once had his contract cancelled by Huddersfield Town, sent his countrymen wild with a 73rdminute free-kick that made a fool out of Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Aboukhal, a 22-year-old striker born in Rotterdam, then sealed the deal in the third minute of injury-time.
By then, Belgium’s so-called Golden Generation resembled Dad’s Army.
You can be sure that the Moroccan people will have taken to the streets and cafes of Casablanca, Tangier and Marrakech to celebrate.
Their country had not experienced victory at the World Cup since Scotland were swatted aside in 1998.
Now they are in the mix for a place in the last 16.
Coach Walid Regragui said: “We have beaten one of the best teams in the world.
“We knew that if you don’t give 100 per cent it is impossible to win.
“But with these fans, these players and this spirit we gave our best performance.
“It is only four points – and that is absolutely extraordinary for Morocco (right, celebrating).”
Regragui had identified a weakness in Courtois’ armoury.
The hero of Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph over Liverpool last season got lucky in first-half injury-time, when Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech beat him with a whipped free-kick from wide on the right.
But a VAR check showed Romain Saiss straying offside and into Courtois’ line of vision.
Sabri, who had only been on the pitch five minutes, thought he would test Courtois again.
This time the angle was even tighter, close to the corner flag on the left flank.
But Belgium’s keeper was beaten at his near post by a shot that carried too much whip, dip and accuracy.
Regragui said: “We saw at the near post that sometimes Courtois is a bit over-confident.
“He is a tall goalkeeper and he sometimes leaves a bit of space
there.” The noise levels were cranked back up to jet-aircraft levels again when Toulouse striker Aboukhlal marched on to Ziyech’s cross to fire a shot that found the top corner off Courtois’ fingertips.
Manchester City’s star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was right in writing off his side’s chances before the tournament kicked off – and insisting that boss Roberto Martinez needs fresh blood.
Belgium started the game with seven players aged 30 or over – and when Martinez replaced the ineffective Eden Hazard, on came 35-year-old Dries Mertens. Romelu Lukaku was on the pitch when Aboukhlal scored Morocco’s second goal after a fight for fitness.
Martinez said: “This is the first time I’ve heard those comments from Kevin.
“At a World Cup, the players have to speak to the media every day – 90 per cent of it will be positive but there are always one or two lines that don’t fit into the context.
“A player is allowed to air his view. We’ve been together for six years now and comments won’t help us to win.
“Maybe it was a double-bluff. It’s what happens behind the scenes that matters.”