Staff Writer
Anissa Lahmari, who scored the winning goal, described it as a “explosion of joy” when Morocco, making their World Cup debut, beat Germany to advance to the round of 16, defeating Colombia 1-0 on Thursday.
Morocco, one of the tournament’s lowest-ranked teams at 72 overall, takes on France on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round.
Lahmari’s goal right before the break separated the teams in Perth, but Morocco then had to endure a few tense minutes with Germany and South Korea still playing and tied at 1-1 in Brisbane.
Germany, a two-time former winner, needed a win to surpass Morocco on goal differential and advance from Group H.
However, they were unable to come up with a last-second winner, which led to frenzied celebrations from Morocco’s players and staff.
Lahmari told reporters, “At the conclusion of our game, we joined together and we were praying.
“When we realized it was a tie, our enthusiasm completely erupted.
“We are incredibly pleased, thrilled, and joyful. The emotions are high.
It was a fantastic moment for Morocco, who beat South Korea and Colombia after suffering a humbling 6-0 loss to Germany in their inaugural match.
They will fantasize of replicating their men’s squad, who made an unexpected run to the World Cup semifinals in Qatar last year.
“We are debutants here. Reynald Pedros, the coach, remarked, “There was a lot of emotion, and it was overwhelming against Germany.
We made adjustments, encouraged them to stay motivated, and put in a lot of effort.
Pedros will be competing against France, the nation he played for.
Pedros said, “It is particularly special since it is France.
“I am quite familiar with the French team, so maybe that would be helpful. They will be really challenging to play.
“Perhaps we can advance if we share the same thinking. Our goal is to continue beyond this.
Despite the loss, Colombia won the group to earn a match against Jamaica.
They won’t have defender Manuela Vanegas, who received her second caution of the competition.
Nelson Abadia, the Colombian coach, justified his choice to start Vanegas by saying, “We can replace her… we wanted to qualify first in our group.”
“Sudden Death is the next match. We are up against a very capable opponent who is strong, adept at defending, and has a strong counterattack.
“Both teams have a good opportunity,”
Caicedo squeaked.
Ibtissam Jraidi was fouled in the box shortly before halftime in front of 17,342 spectators in Perth.
Goalkeeper Catalina Perez made a fantastic stop on Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak’s penalty kick by diving to her left.
On the rebound, Sakina Ouzraoui pounced, and her deft pass found Lahmari, who nailed it from close range.
Despite having already essentially qualified for the round of 16 before this encounter, Colombia started with a full roster.
She was replaced by Real Madrid striker Linda Caicedo after x-rays revealed no health issues.
Just days after collapsing in training due to chest trouble, Caicedo, who scored goals in victories over South Korea and Germany, experienced breathing problems against the Germans.
Caicedo struggled against Morocco and took a careless tackle to the foot that left her writhing on the ground.
Just before halftime, she finally got involved with numerous threatening sprints down the right, but Colombia was unable to capitalize.
Lahmari’s goal for Morocco made them pay by leaving the team on thin ice going into halftime.
On the hour, Daniela Montoya’s bullet attempt was beautifully blocked by goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi as Colombia came out fighting.
