Thursday’s victory at the Perth Rectangular Stadium was a historic feat for Morocco, who qualified for the knockout rounds of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in their debut outing–making them the first African team to achieve such a feat.
The Atlas Lionesses, led by Frenchman Reynald Pedros, defeated eventual group winners Colombia 1-0 and relied on South Korea holding two-time winners Germany to a 1-1 draw in the other fixture to ensure their progress to the next round, making it the first time in the competition’s history that three African teams have made it out of the group stages.
FULL-TIME: Morocco???????? 1-0 Colombia????????
Germany???????? 1-1 South Korea????????The Atlas Lionesses ???????? finish second in Group G, level on six points with leaders Colombia while Germany are out with four points.#Afrosport #FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/MTsyGRAroV
— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 3, 2023
Pedros, who was teary-eyed and obviously emotional after the news of their qualification broke in the stadium, thanked the Moroccan players for their hard work and dedication. He also praised the fans for their support and for letting their voices be heard despite the huge following for the Colombians.
It’s historic,” the former Lyon Women’s head coach said. “We worked really hard. We’ve worked so hard for three years and we’ve been rewarded for that.
“We have fantastic players. And that’s what drives us on, and today, we played like a brilliant team,” he added.
About the fans and their cheering, Pedros said: “They’re going to be supporting us again now.”
“We love them, they’re so important to us. We know they’re behind us. And that’s what drives us on.
“Almost the whole stadium was supporting Colombia tonight. They gave us strength. So thank you to the players and we’ll keep going,” the 51-year-old concluded.
Morocco showed terrific mentality by making it out of the group after a disappointing opening day in which they lost 6-0 to Germany. In their second group game, a first-half strike from Ibtissam Jraidi helped them secure all available points to put them in a better position for the final game.
Against the Powerpuff Girls of Colombia, 26-year-old Anissa Lahmari poked home what turned out to be the winning goal after captain Ghizlane Chebbak had her penalty saved to help them make history and win their second game in the Women’s World Cup to progress to the knockout phase.
For the first time ever, THREE African teams will play in the #FIFAWWC Round of 16.
Netherlands???????? vs South Africa???????? – August 6
England???????????????????????????? vs Nigeria???????? – August 7
France???????? vs Morocco???????? – August 8#Afrosport #SouthAfrica #Nigeria #Morocco #BeyondGreatnes pic.twitter.com/DlOuQ19iwJ— AfroSport (@AfroSportTV) August 3, 2023
In the Round of 16, they will face the fifth-ranked team in the world, France, on Tuesday, August 8, at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia, for a place in the last eight with hopes of continuing their fairytale debut.
