By Dylan Bettencourt
Not only did Morocco become the second African team through to the knockout stages in the World Cup, they did it by topping their group.
That achievement is made even more impressive after finding out that their group included the 2018 finalists Croatia as well as second in the world Belgium.
The Atlas Lions went into the Group F finale in good fiddle, with four points after surprisingly beating Belgium.
Therefore all Morocco needed to do was avoid defeat and hope Belgium fail to beat Croatia on Thursday night.
But the North Africans did one better and defeated Canada 2-1 to secure their spot at the top of the group.
The first goal was a gift from Canada as the goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball but instead put the ball into the path of Hakim Ziyech who chipped the ball into the back of the net.
It only got better for Morocco when Youseff En-Nesyri scored a wonderful half-volley to double their lead.
Canada managed to pull a goal back when a cross was blocked by Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd into his own net.
Morocco qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since the 1986 World Cup.
However it was not to be for Belgium, the team ranked only behind Brazil, as their fixture ended in a goalless stalemate.
After finishing third in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it is an absolute disaster for Belgium and their head coach Roberto Martinez.
The European giants only managed to score one goal during their time in Qatar, during a 1-0 victory against Canada.
The massive upset comes amidst reports of a broken relationship between the players in the Belgium locker room.
Reports suggested several players were involved in a bust-up earlier this week as well as players who had not spoken for years due to personal reasons.
Pictured above: Morocco’s celebrations
Image source: @FifaWorldCup
