Chadi Riad stays in the frame, but the first-half story in Netherlands v Morocco was Bart Verbruggen. The Netherlands goalkeeper made two saves and the match reached halftime at 0-0, even as Morocco created the better chances and the Dutch spent a spell with 10 players after Van Hecke went off injured.
Verbruggen Stops the Breakthrough
Two saves were the difference before the break. Verbruggen kept Morocco out, and the match stayed level through a first half that had more edge than clean chances.
Morocco did the more dangerous work before and after the hydration break. Saibari missed the ball on Hakimi’s free kick in stoppage time, and the Dutch still had to survive the final action of the half without giving away the opener.
Van Hecke Leaves Bloodied
Van Hecke took a cleat to the head and was very bloodied before jogging off the field. The Dutch played with 10 for a period, then got the defender back by the 42nd minute, which helped steady a side already under pressure in a physical match.
Referee Wilton Sampaio had not shown a yellow card by halftime, and that lenient line left both teams pushing the edge of contact. Van de Ven also tested Bounou from distance in the 44th minute, but the Morocco goalkeeper pushed the strike over the crossbar.
Morocco Presses, Netherlands Hold
The Dutch won their fourth corner of the night in the 45th minute, but Brobbey was whistled for a foul on the goalkeeper. Six minutes of stoppage time were added, and Van Hecke was still out there after the head knock, even finishing the half by stopping El Aynaoui’s run with a crunching tackle at 45 + 3 min.
That sequence summed up the half: Morocco had the sharper chances, Verbruggen kept the score level, and the referee let the game run. The break arrived at 0-0, with the second half set up by a first period that never settled into a clean rhythm.
