MADRID (Reuters) – World Cup semi-finalists Morocco were held to a 0-0 draw by Peru in a friendly at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday.
The stalemate came after Morocco beat Brazil 2-1 in a friendly in Tangier on Saturday in their first game after their heroics at the World Cup in Qatar, where they became the first African and Arab country to reach the final four.
It was a contest played at a furious pace, with Morocco constantly on the attack and Peru looking for chances on the counter, but spoilt by frequent stoppages.
Hakim Ziyech went closest for Morocco with two good first-half chances and another 15 minutes from fulltime, which shaved the outside of the post.
The match was preceded by a clash between Spanish police and Peru players at the squad’s hotel in Madrid on Monday after fans gathered outside to greet the team, according to players and video shared on social media.
The altercation broke out when hundreds of fans approached the team’s hotel after the squad had wrapped up a training session. In videos shared widely on social media, midfielder Yoshimar Yotun can be seen arguing with a policeman who then pushed him. Other players and police then became involved.
Also on Monday, a 27-year-old worker at a Madrid hotel hosting the Morocco team was arrested for an alleged hate crime after posting derogatory comments on Islam and racist slurs against the players on social media.
A waiter at the Spanish capital’s five-star Eurostars Hotel Tower asked players to take photographs with him. He then uploaded the images to Instagram with xenophobic insults and tagged the Moroccan team’s account, with the post quickly receiving over 70,000 views.
The man was due to appear before a judge shortly, police said.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
