Morocco have secured a place in the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history after defeating Colombia 1-0.
Anissa Lahmari’s first-half goal was enough for the Atlas Lionesses, who finished second in Group H behind Colombia.
Germany, who were the pre-tournament favourites in the group, were eliminated after drawing 1-1 with Korea Republic.
Morocco’s victory is a major achievement for the team, who are making their first appearance at the tournament.
They will now face France in the round of 16.
The match
Morocco started the brighter of the two sides and created the first chance of the game when Ghizlane Chebbak’s shot was saved by Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez.
The Atlas Lionesses continued to press and were awarded a penalty in the 45th minute when Ibtissam Jraidi was brought down in the box.
Chebbak stepped up to take the penalty, but her effort was saved by Perez.
However, Morocco were not to be denied and Lahmari was on hand to poke home the rebound to give her side the lead.
Colombia had several chances to equalise in the second half, but they were denied by some excellent goalkeeping from Khadija Er-Rmichi.
The South Americans couldn’t find a way through and Morocco held on to secure a famous victory.
The reaction
Morocco coach Reynald Pedros was delighted with his side’s performance.
“I’m so proud of my players,” he said. “They showed great character and determination to win this game.
“We knew it would be a tough match against Colombia, but we were prepared and we executed our plan perfectly.
“This is a historic moment for Moroccan football and I’m so happy that we could make it happen.”
Colombia coach Nelson Abadia was disappointed with his side’s performance.
“We didn’t play well enough,” he said. “We had chances to score, but we didn’t take them.
“Morocco were the better team on the day and they deserved to win.”
What next?
Morocco will now face France in the round of 16. The match will be played on August 8 in Adelaide.
