Africa-Press – Gambia. Football is very much linked to talent. The big winning percentage goes to the teams that have the most talent. This turns out to be normal, but there is a reason (not always easy to find) to like a sport where they almost always win.
And the reason is to be able to see games where talent is denied by dedication and desire. That’s what happened (once again) in the game between Belgium and Morocco, which the African team won by 0-2.
The Belgians settled under the talent’s umbrella and were surprised by a gust of lateral rain that came from the Moroccan want. In addition to being a surprise, this victory complicates the accounts of group F, where Belgium and Croatia appeared as clear favorites. The first half (and much of the second) for Belgium was an extension of the first game, against Canada, and was a continuation of the problems of the team coached by Roberto Martínez. A team capable of having the ball, moments of collective and individual brilliance, but with many difficulties in “crushing” the opponent and in being objective in the search for the goal. Having said that, it was not a big surprise to see that the Selection The European team did not have a real chance to score in the first 45 minutes, with a slight exception for a move in which Michy Batshuayi appeared with danger in Munir’s face, just after 5 minutes.
For its part, the Selection of Morocco always maintained an intelligent posture in the game, but also impertinent. The Africans exploited Belgium’s lack of pace and accommodation very well and, in several classic counterattack moves (Ziyech and Hakimi at the head) created danger for Courtois’s goal. Close to halftime there was even a Moroccan goal, in a dead ball, but well annulled for offside.
The second half brought Belgium slightly more capable of hurting Morocco, but only by spaces. Eden Hazard still threatened at 52′, but it was short-lived. The selection coached by Hoalid Regragui became even more comfortable and even more capable of being dangerous. Sofiane Boufal started by threatening with a beautiful shot from outside the area, but the moment of the game came shortly afterwards. In yet another free kick, Abdelhamid Sabiri tricked Courtois and shot straight for the first goal of the game. After that, Belgium tried a more direct game, with Lukaku already on the field, but the lack of ideas did not allow to create real opportunities, except for a corner kick, which Jan Vertonghen headed wide. Close to the end, it was still 0-2, in yet another counterattack, which punished the poor European performance. Belgium once again show that individual talent is not yet working as a collective. Qualification is not in question, but the idea that the Belgians are one of the best teams in this competition is starting to die. Morocco, on the other hand, had an almost perfect game yesterday, and qualifying is so close.
Faced with this outcome, Belgium interrupted a successful cycle of eight consecutive triumphs in the World Cup group stages. The Red Devils failed to beat Brazil’s record, which had achieved the feat on two occasions (1986-1994 and 2002-2010).
The Belgians also put an end to a notable record of 14 straight matches unbeaten in the first leg of the finals.
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