Brisbane – Morocco made history this Thursday (3) after qualifying for the round of 16 in its first participation in the Women’s World Cup. The Moroccans beat Colombia 1-0 with a goal by striker Anissa Lahmari in the additional time of the first half after goalkeeper Catalina Pérez rebounded from the penalty spot.
Despite the defeat, the Colombians qualified first place in group H with the same six points as Morocco but with a better goal difference, and will face Jamaica in the next phase. “It’s a tough opponent, who haven’t conceded goals and are very strong in defense,” predicted Colombia coach Nelson Abadía.
The Moroccans will face France for a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (8). “We’ve worked hard over these three years; this is the reward for our work,” celebrated Moroccan national team coach, Frenchman Reynald Pedros.
The Moroccan national team had already made history before in this Cup. When facing South Korea, defender Nouhaila Benzina (pictured above) was the first athlete to play in a World Cup match wearing a hijab, a fabric to cover women’s hair.
Germany out
After the eliminations of Brazil and Canada, Germany protagonized the third big surprise of the Women’s World Cup when they could not advance from the group stage after a 1-1 draw with South Korea, also in Group H.
The two-time world champion German team was behind after just six minutes with a goal by Cho So-hyun.
The tie came in the first half, by captain Alexandra Popp who scored with a header. With this result and Morocco’s victory over Colombia, Germany was eliminated.
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Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
