Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses make history after reaching knockouts at Women’s World Cup

The Colombian squad is ranked 25th in the world, while the Atlas Lioness position at 73rd. 

The Atlas Lionesses earned a historic milestone for their country after defeating Colombia 1-0 to secure their place in the Round of 16 at the  2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 

A lone goal by midfielder Anissa Lahmari led the team to becoming the first Arab and North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the FIFA tournament. 

The win puts Morocco in second place in the group, behind Colombia, and knocks two-time champion Germany out of the tournament.

Germany previously defeated the Moroccans 6-0 in their opener.

“We are very disappointed. It’s very, very hard for me to analyse this match,” Germany captain Alexandra Plopp told reporters after the game.

The elimination of Germany signalled history for the North Africans as the No. 2-ranked Germans needed a win over South Korea to advance to the next stage.

Of the eight debutants at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, seven teams have already exited the tournament, leaving the Atlas Lionesses as the long surviving underdogs. 

With a dramatic triumph at the Women’s tournament, the team representing the MENA region will now go on to face France.

The win marks a fairytale result for Morocco who will look to imitate or possibly outperform the results of the men’s team, which also made history after reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.