Morocco defeats Group H leaders Colombia to advance, as powerhouse Germany is eliminated
By Ed Emeanua
VENUE: Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia
The teams
Morocco: Er-Rmichi, Ait El Haj, Benzina, El Chad, Redouani, Ouzraoui, Nakkach, Chebbak, Tagnaout, Jraidi, Lahmari.
Subs: Arouaissa, Zouhair, Amani, Ayane, Badri, Bouftini, Chapelle, Gharbi, Kassi, Mazrouai, Mrabet, Seghir.
Colombia: Perez, Carolina Arias, Carabali, Daniela Arias, Vanegas, Durango, Montoya, Caicedo, Santos, Ramirez, Usme.
Subs: Giraldo, Sepulveda, Andrade, Bahr, Baron, Caracas, Chacon, Guzman, Ospina, Ramos, Restrepo, Reyes.
Referee: Maria Ferrieri Caputi (Italy).
VENUE: Brisbane Football Stadium in Brisbane, Australia
The teams
South Korea (3-5-2): J Kim; H Kim, Y Lee, S Shim; H Choo, G Chun, S Ji, S Cho, S Jang; Y Choe, Phair. Subs: Y Yoon, J Ryu, H Hong, Y Kim, S Lim, H Son, G Lee, M Moon, E Park, E Jeon, Y Bae, C Kang
Germany (4-2-3-1): Frohms; Hagel, Hegering, Hendrich, Huth; Oberdorf, Däbritz; Bühl, Brand, Schüller; Popp. Subs: Berger, Johannes, Kleinherne, Lohmann, Freigang, Lattwein, Nuesken, Anyomi, Rauch, Leupolz, Mogul, Doorsun.
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)
Atlas Lionesses of Morocco continues their Cinderella run at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup competition by progressing out of Group H following a 1-0 win over Colombia at the Perth Rectangular Stadium, Australia on Thursday, even as world powerhouse Die Nationalelf of Germany were eliminated from the tournament.
Germany’s crashing out at the group stage of the current tournament was instigated by their shock one all draw against the group’s whipping team-South Korea-who, lost all of their other Group H matches but Thursday’s game against Germany at Brisbane Football Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Colombia make a single change to their starting line-up in the side that shocked Germany with a 2-1 defeated with Leicy Santos taking the place of Lady Andrade in midfield for Las Chicas Superpoderosas.
Morocco also made a change in the team that beat South Korea by a lone goal, with Anissa Lahmari replacing Salma Amani up front for the Atlas Lionesses.
Morocco began the tie on the offensive trying to find early dominance over the opponent. Within a little short of 50 seconds on the clock, Jraidi is freed into space on the left. Her attempt to beat Perez at her near post is foiled by the keeper for a Moroccan corner kick.
The resulting corner kick saw Chebbak whipping it in low and hard towards the same bottom-left corner in an obvious attempt to catch Goalkeeper Perez bunkered out, but defender Carolina Arias kicked the ball out for a second corner that leads to nothing.
Soon after, the the Colombians settled down and seized the control of the encounter. However, in the 6th minute, Morocco’s Nakkach’s neat skill creates some freedom on the inside-right throughway allowing him to feed Jraidi, who failed to get into position in the box for a try at goal.
At this very stage in the other game of the group in Brisbane, Korea’s slick passing through the middle of the Germany defense found the unchecked Cho, who kept her mien and plants the ball into the corner to shoot Taegeuk Nangja in front in the 6th minute.
Morocco continued to look very dangerous in spurts in these early attacks even as Colombia seemingly controlled the game but could not get the better of the Moroccan defensive formation.
In Brisbane, a great cross into the Korean box by Huth affords Popp to attacks it by rising above a Taegeuk Nangja defender to head the ball home into the corner for Die Nationalelf’s equalizer.
Alexandra Popp powers a header home for Germany’s equalizer. Photograph: Dan Peled/Reuters
At the 45+ 2 mark however, something had to give in the Colombia rear. From a cross into the Colombian box from the left, Jraidi attempts to control and turn down the inside-left side as Daniela Arias clumsily knocks her over. The referee points to the spot.
Chebbak well-struck kick towards the bottom right was thwarted by Perez’s spectacular save, but the falls for Ouzraoui, who strokes it back into the centre of the Colombian 6 yard box from the right for the arriving Lahmari to slam home at the 45 + 4 mark. The first half in Perth ended with Morocco 1-0 up, while in Brisbane, the spoils were shared even at one all.
The game in Perth resumed on a rather second-half feisty tempo as Colombia tried to level while Morocco defended their slim lead with remarkable zest. In the 56th minute, Ramirez sneaked through the back of Morocco’s defender Nakkach, then Caicedo gets up in the referee’s grille to complain about an earlier challenge by Lahmari on Usme that the official did not call.
Colombia continued to pin down the Moroccans to their half as they sought to equalize. Soon, it was all about the Colombian attacking formation battling against Moroccan Goalkeeper Er-Rmichi, who stood her ground against a Colombia equalizer.
In the 59′, Caicedo erased out two players on the left, then looped a long cross for Montoya, who aims low and hard across the keeper and towards the bottom left, but Er-Rmichi stuck out a leg to block the ball from going into her net. The rebounding ball broke for Bedoya on the edge of the area, whose low drive flashes across wide on the right.
Yet again in the 62′, Ramirez streaked down the right and shoots powerfully towards the bottom right, but Er-Rmichi managed to turn around her effort post for a corner.
In Brisbane, Korea’s Got to say Korea’s tactics, though quite simple kept them in contention. Though, out skilled and outmaneuvered by their opponent, Taegeuk Nangja kept just bundling it through with relying on their physicality, getting in numbers back behind their defense, and using the simple plan of tasking a very tall player to mark the aerially-inclined Popp.
