On a high from their heroic victory over Belgium in their last match, one of the most famous wins in African sporting history, Morocco are the second team from the continent to reach the knockout stages after Senegal booked a date with England, and incredibly progress as group winners.
Belgium's miserable month ended in further catastrophe as their failure to beat Croatia means one of the pre-tournament favourites bows out. Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup knockouts as group winners since Nigeria in 1998. But they were made to work mightily hard for their success by a Canada side that finished pointless, despite their best efforts.
After a raucous rendition of the Moroccan national anthem in the Al Thumama Stadium that could not have failed to rouse the Arab nation from any lingering lethargy, Canada were immediately put on the back foot. What the Canadians needed to do if they were to have any chance of their first-ever World Cup finals win was to steady the ship, not let in any early goals and avoid making mistakes where possible.
This story is from the December 02, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the December 02, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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