Morocco Football Team

Fifa World Cup 2022 Highlights: Belgium, full of club football stars failed to translate that energy at the national level and crashed out of the World Cup in group stage after 0-0 draw with Croatia

Know more about Belgium national football team, squad, history, Belgium team at UEFA European Championship, Belgium at the FIFA World Cup etc. with business-standard.com

Belgium national football team | Business Standard

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	<strong>Belgium national football team</strong></div>
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	Belgium national men&rsquo;s football team represents Belgium in international men&rsquo;s football tournaments. Till now, the team is the only national team in the world to top the FIFA World rankings without having won a World Cup or a continental championship. Their best finish in a World Cup tournament has been a third-place finish which came in 2018. In the European Championship, their best finish was a runners-up position in Euro 1980.</div>
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	Belgium is a rising football powerhouse and has produced some of the best players in the world in the last few years. They include players such as Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, among many others. These players are considered to be part of Belgium&rsquo;s golden generation. Prior to 2014, the team had alternate periods of successful and unsuccessful qualifications.</div>
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	The team is governed by Royal Belgian Football Association in Belgium. The team is under the global jurisdiction of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) in Europe. Roberto Martinez is the head coach of the team and Real Madrid player Eden Hazard is the team captain. Romelu Lukaku is the top scorer for the national team. Also known as the Red Devils, the team plays its home matches mostly at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The team is known for its rivalry with Netherlands and France.</div>
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	<strong>History of Belgium football team</strong></h4>
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	Belgium was one of the first mainland European countries to start playing association football. It is said British teachers popularised the sports in the country. Initially considered as an elitist sport, football soon picked up to replace rugby as the most popular sport in Belgium. In 1895, the national athletics union was founded which later became the national football federation. In 1904, the Belgium team played its first official international match against France. A few days later, Belgium and other countries founded FIFA.</div>
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	<strong>Belgium at the FIFA World Cup</strong></h4>
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	The national team has qualified for the World Cup 13 times, with the first in 1930 where they finished 11th. Their best finish at the World Cup came in the 2018 edition in Russia where they finished third. Before 2018, their best position was fourth, which came in 1986 in Mexico.</div>
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	<strong>Belgium at the UEFA European Championship</strong></h4>
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	In the continental tournament, the team has qualified 6 times with the first in 1972. In this competition, their best finish has been a second position in the 1980 edition and a third in 1972. In the last edition in 2016, the team was able to reach the quarter-finals. The team has qualified for Euro 2020.</div>
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Croatia Football Team

Fifa World Cup Qatar, Belgium vs Morocco Live Updates: Catch all the action from the Al Thumama Stadium as Belgium take on Morocco in a Group F clash

FIFA Qatar

Police had to seal off parts of the centre of Brussels, deploy water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds following violence during and after Morocco's 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup.
Dozens of rioters set steps on fire and pelted cars with bricks. Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries, said Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere.
Brussels mayor Philippe Close urged soccer fans to stay away from the city center and said authorities were doing their utmost to keep order in the streets. Even subway and tram traffic had to be interrupted on police orders.
Morocco's victory was a major upset at the World Cup and was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian cities.
It was not immediately clear how many people were detained during the disturbances.

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Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: @EURO2020

Out of the four semi-finalists, only Denmark has been a surprise. The team had to replace its star player Eriksen who fainted because of cardiac arrest during the team's opening match of Euro 2020

Belgium National Football Team

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