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German World Cup – Morocco Square Off With Belgium in Search for Africa’s Second Win
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World Cup – Morocco Square Off With Belgium in Search for Africa’s Second Win
Saturday – African giants Morocco will take on Belgium in their second game of the 2022 Qatar World Cup on Sunday at 4:00 pm. The North Africans will be hoping to secure Africa’s second win at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Senegal became the first country from Africa to record a win, and their fans outside Al Thumama Stadium were in a great mood.
Morocco held Croatia to a goalless draw in their first Group F match and are plotting to spring a surprise at Al Thumama Stadium tomorrow.
The Atlas Lions have injury concerns over Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui for the encounter in Doha.
Morocco prevailed in the last meeting between these two sides with a 4-1 win being registered in a friendly back in 2008.
Africa has not had much success in recent World Cups. The last time the continent had a team in the quarter-finals was when Ghana reached the last eight in 2010.
Meanwhile Roberto Martinez will expect a vast improvement from his Belgium side when they go in search of a record-breaking World Cup win over Morocco on Sunday.
The Red Devils performed well below par on matchday one as they edged out an impressive Canada side by a 1-0 scoreline.
Michy Batshuayi’s first-half goal has put Belgium at the top of Group F ahead of their showdown with Morocco, who held Croatia on Wednesday, in Doha.
Should Belgium record maximum points against the Atlas Lions in the second of Sunday’s fixtures, they will be setting a new record in the competition.
Since losing to Saudi Arabia in their second group-stage contest in 1994, Belgium have posted eight successive victories in the round-robin phase.
They currently find themselves level with Brazil, who have twice put together eight-game winning streaks, but they will move clear of the five-time world champions if they can defeat their next opponents.
Belgium will feel confident of achieving that feat having never suffered defeat to a nation from Africa at the World Cup.
Players to Watch
Belgium: Michy Batshuayi
In the absence of Lukaku, Batshuayi stepped up to get Belgium off to a winning start as they rode their luck in midweek.
He had five of Belgium’s nine shots and was the only player to register an attempt on goal for the Red Devils before being replaced in the 78th minute.
If Belgium can exert more control on the game, Batshuayi is capable of rewarding them as he should be full of confidence after his decisive strike.
Morocco: Hakim Ziyech
A lack of goals has been a big issue for Morocco in World Cup matches, with the stalemate versus Croatia being the ninth time in 17 games they have failed to find the back of the net.
Hakim Ziyech is one of the players who is capable of getting them firing in Qatar, where he had two shots and created as many chances against Croatia.
The Chelsea winger has shown he can has the quality to produce moments of magic with his wand of a left foot, which Belgium will be wary of.
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