Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the first choice for the team, and he appeared on the pitch for the national anthem before their match-up against Belgium in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But when the players were lining up for the pre-match team photo, Bounou disappeared, with Munir El Kajoui lining up instead.
Everyone was confused and no one seemed to know exactly what was going on. There is no official word from the Moroccan team as to why they made the late change. It is reported that he was taken ill shortly before the game began.
It caused confusion, and the BBC’s commentary team initially failed to notice the change had been made. But the BBC later reported that Bounou went to speak to manager Walid Regragui after the anthems about a problem with his eyes.
Morocco crushed Canada’s hopes in the World Cup
Morocco locked horns with Canada at the Al Thumama stadium on Sunday in a Group F clash and the teams looked strong enough as they failed to score a goal in the first half on the back of staggering defense efforts from both teams.
In the second half, at the 65-minute mark, the scoreline was still 0-0. However, Substitutes Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal struck in the latter stages, and Morocco fully deserved their win with a determined display against a poor Belgian side.
Belgium won their first game against Canada with a scoreline of 1-0 and took home the 3 points, and eventually ended up topping the points table. Morocco, on the other hand, faced off against Croatia in their campaign opener and each team took one point apiece as the match ended in a draw with neither of the teams scoring a goal.
As things stand, Morocco defeated Belgium on Sunday’s encounter with a scoreline of 0-2 and took home the much-needed three points in the ongoing campaign, on the back of astonishing goals from Aboukhlal and Sabiri. But now the Moroccans have overtaken Belgium and taken the no.2 spot in the Group F standings while the Belgians have gone down a spot below and are standing at no. 3 position in the group.
