Crowds of people set cars on fire and smashed windows with bricks in Brussels and Rotterdam after Morocco beat Belgium 2-0 in shocking World Cup upset

Riots on the streets of Brussels.

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• Videos show riots erupted in Brussels on Sunday after Belgium defeated Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup.
• Riot police deployed tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
• Violence also sparked off in neighbouring Netherlands. 

Dozens of soccer fans took to the streets of Brussels and Rotterdam on Sunday following Belgium's shocking 2-0 World Cup defeat to Morocco.

Footage circulating on social media depicted streets engulfed in tear gas and vehicles set ablaze, as throngs of people clashed with riot police.

The videos showed rioters, some draped in Moroccan flags, battering overturned cars, and smashing property with bricks. 

—Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) November 27, 2022

 

One person climbed atop the ledge of a building to get to a Belgium flag, and ripped it away as scores of supporters cheered beneath him. 

—Fdesouche.com est une revue de presse (@F_Desouche) November 27, 2022

 

Brussels police officers appeared to be pelting rioters with tear gas and water cannons and cordoned off sections of the city center to contain the violence. After about two hours, the streets returned to an uneasy calm as police detained dozens of rioters, per Brussels police.

Brussels mayor Philippe Close tweeted:"I express my strongest condemnation against these thugs who want to attack our capital. The Brussels police will always fight to prevent them from causing harm."

Videos also surfaced on Twitter which showed violence erupting in the neighboring country of Netherlands, as rioters in Rotterdam attacked riot police with fireworks and glass.

The number and extent of injuries remain unclear, though one person was confirmed to have suffered facial injuries, Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere told AP News.

This was Morocco's first ever World Cup match victory since 1998, per CNN. Winning their final group stage match against Canada next Thursday will advance them to the round of 16 off 32 teams, for the second time in World Cup history.

Brussels police and Philippe Close did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

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