Germany’s 1-1 draw with South Korea was not enough to secure second place in Group H at the Women’s World Cup. With their victory over Colombia (1-0) on Thursday, Morocco have qualified for the Round of 16, where they will face France.
Anything was possible in Group H when the third day kicked off on Thursday. On paper, all four teams could still qualify for the Round of 16. And it all ended in a huge surprise, with Germany’s elimination and Reynald Pedros’ Morocco’s qualification for the next round. The Atlas Lionesses will face France in the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday August 8 (1pm French time).
The German national team fell behind to North Korea early on, but in the end came up short (1-1). A draw, coupled with Morocco’s 1-0 victory over Colombia, eliminates the German team from the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. Colombia are top of the group.
???????? @EnMaroc have done everything they can! #BeyondGreatness | #FIFAWWC
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 3, 2023
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Morocco did well to believe
After being swept aside by the Germans (6-0) in their first match at a World Cup, the Moroccans followed up with a string of strong performances. After their 1-0 win over South Korea, the Atlas Lionesses were virtually qualified for the finals for a long time on Thursday… Before finally qualifying.
While the Koreans led against Germany, a draw with Colombia briefly sent them through to the last 16. Alexandra Popp’s equaliser before half-time hurt Morocco’s ambitions, but Anissa Lahmari immediately restored hope.
After Ghizlane Chebbak had missed a penalty, her team-mate finished well to give the Moroccans the lead just before half-time. Behind them, the Moroccans held on to beat Colombia (1-0).
At the same time, Germany pushed forward but failed to crack the Korean defense. Although Alexandra Popp scored, the referee logically disallowed the striker’s second goal for slight offside in the second half. The German star then saw her header hit the crossbar. The final score was 1-1, and Morocco can now savour their historic qualification for the last 16.