Morocco made pivotal last-minute goalkeeper change after national anthems were sung
Dailystar.co.uk
2 min read
Morocco made pivotal last-minute goalkeeper change after national anthems were sung,World Cup fans and even the BBC commentary team were left bamboozled by Morocco's disappearing goalkeeper, who had sung the national anthem but did not start the match against Belgium
Morocco made pivotal last-minute goalkeeper change after national anthems were sung
Morocco made a peculiar last minute goalkeeper change against Belgium – after the national anthems were sung.
The African nation named Yassine Bounou in their starting eleven to face the Red Devils in Sunday afternoon's World Cup match. Their No1 keeper walked out of the tunnel alongside his team-mates and sang the national anthem.
He was also seen on TV shaking hands with the Belgium players. But in a spooky twist, Bounou was suddenly replaced by second goalkeeper Munir Mohand Mohamedi El Kajoui for the official pre-team match photo.
READ MORE: Costa Rica stun Japan at World Cup but fans think it's down to 'Sunday League' goalkeeping
For 25 minutes of the first half, BBC’s commentary team continued to refer to Munir as Bounou, even when he pulled off a save to deny Michy Batshuayi. But eagle-eyed fans were quicker to notice, as Bounou’s nickname ‘Bono’ trended on Twitter.
The mystery of the disappearing goalkeeper was eventually solved, as BBC presenter Mark Chapman explained that Bounou was feeling unwell and had issues with his vision in the build-up.
Chapman said: "Bounou was there as they sang the national anthem. He then complained to the coach about something wrong with his eyes.
"Look at how calm the coach is and goes over to El Kajoui with a smile. He joins for the photo and then played the first 45 minutes."
It was revealed there had been a short delay as the teams lined up as a result of Munir getting himself ready for the action, while receiving words of encouragement from manager Walid Regragui.
The sudden change did not affect Morocco’s dominance over Belgium, however. Munir was faultless and kept a clean sheet, even if he was largely untested by their lacklustre opponents.
Had they stuck with Bounou, who knows – Morocco could have endured a very different afternoon!
Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal’s second half goals resulted in a 2-0 defeat for Roberto Martinez’s side. Morocco, therefore, took the top spot in Group F ahead of Croatia vs Canada.
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