The reason why Bono had to pull out against Belgium just before kick-off

The reason behind why Bono had to pull out against Belgium just before kick-off has been explained.

Mystery surrounded Morocco's goalkeeper change in their second World Cup group stage game against Belgium on Sunday.

Bono was named in the starting XI, sang the national anthem and shook the hands of the opposition players.

But he didn't take to the field when the game kicked off to the dismay of the BBC commentators, who informed viewers in the 38th minute.

Back-up goalkeeper Munir Mohand Mohamedi started the game in place of Bono, who complained of blurred vision and dizziness.

That's according to two separate reports from the BBC and L'Equipe, who claim he had a problem with his eyes and suffered from dizziness just before the match.

Bono's absence didn't prove crucial as Morocco ran out 2-0 winners - thanks to second half goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal.

The North African country have four points on the board in Group F ahead of facing Canada next Thursday.

Belgium, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to advance to the next round of the tournament as they face Croatia next.

Speaking after his side's defeat to Morocco, Roberto Martinez said: "It's a difficult result because the first goal affected the outcome a lot. It's a dead ball situation, we couldn't get our game going and it's a game that we need to understand. We need to be together and react in the next game. That's what happens in the World Cup.

"The way we defended the goal is the way we have been defending free-kicks for six years, that's not the issue. It's a good ball in, it's nothing to do with the set up.

"I think we had good moments but we couldn't get clear cut chances, we only had a couple of half opportunities and if you allow that goal to be conceded then it changes the game radically.

"At the moment we conceded the goal we lost our composure too much and we couldn't get ourselves back in the final third with more thought.

"We knew Morocco were getting bodies behind the ball and we couldn't break them down. The game went away from us the moment we conceded the goal.

"We need to make sure that we get stronger together and we'll get ready for the third game."

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: Football World Cup, Football

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Darren Till. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@NasJabbar