Belgium's shocking defeat to Morocco in the FIFA World Cup match did not go over well in Brussels, with violence breaking out on Sunday, November 27.
According to reports, a hundred police officers were rushed to confront football fans who smashed street furniture and flung projectiles at authorities.
A BBC journalist on the site caught footage of a group of young Morocco fans smashed up a car and rental scooters.
At least one vehicle caught fire.
Morocco defeated Belgium 2-0 in the Group F game on Sunday, owing to late goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal. Belgium dropped to third place in the group table, one goal behind Morocco and Croatia.
In a stunning upset at the World Cup, Morocco's triumph was enthusiastically embraced by supporters with Moroccan immigrant ancestry.
The violence was denounced by Rajae Maouane, a politician from Belgium with Moroccan ancestry and co-president of the French-speaking party Ecolo.
"No excuse for the violent behavior of these 'supporters,'" she tweeted. "Real supporters celebrate with joy and respect."
The public has been advised to avoid the central Brussels region. Several metro stations, bus routes, and tram lines were closed. It is unknown what sparked the violence, and investigators have yet to assign blame.
"It started at half-time. We do not know who started it, who lit the fire, we don't know," a local resident Abdellah said. "Normally, once the match has been won you have to celebrate it the right way but now... we do not understand."
The Associated Press reported that there were also commotions in the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Liège. Others were quick to note out that the substantial Moroccan community in Brussels held most of its celebrations in peace.
Two police officers were hurt in Rotterdam, a port city in the Netherlands, during the rioting, according to the AP news agency. According to Dutch police, there was unrest in the port city of Rotterdam as riot police tried to disperse 500 football supporters who were throwing pyrotechnics and broken glass at the cops.
Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, asked residents to avoid the city's center.
"Those are not fans, they are rioters. Moroccan fans are there to celebrate," Close said.
"Sad to see how a few individuals abuse a situation to run amok," Belgium Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden also commented.
