By Victor Kanayo
Riot on Sunday evening erupted in Brussels, the Belgium capital after Morocco defeated their team earlier same day in the ongoing FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Shortly after the loss, Belgians started rioting with fire while pelting cars with bricks.
Immediately, Police had to seal off parts of the city centre, deployed water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse crowds as violence broke out following the match.
Morocco’s victory was a major upset at the tournament and was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian cities.
Even subway and tram traffic had to be interrupted on police orders, while there were also disturbances in the city of Antwerp.
It was not immediately clear how many people were detained during the disturbances.
Police in the neighboring Netherlands said violence erupted in the port city of Rotterdam, with riot officers attempting to break up a group of football supporters who pelted police with fireworks and glass.
Earlier, Morocco had claimed a deserved victory following goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Later same day, Croatia crushed Canada 4-1.
The result means the Canadian side won’t progress to the last 16 of the global soccer competition, their only goal against Croatia proved historic as it became their first ever World Cup goal.