It was a difficult FIFA Women’s World Cup debut for the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco who were defeated 6-0 by Germany on Monday to begin play in Group H. Alexandra Popp scored twice in a dominant display for the two-time world champions who faced little resistance from the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations runners-up. Morocco face South Korea in their next match on July 30.
The odds were heavily against the Moroccan team in Melbourne and after keeping the match scoreless for the opening ten minutes it was Popp who broke the deadlock in the 11th minute. High pressing saw the Germans win the ball and Popp arrived to head into an empty goal after Morocco goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi came out and failed to claim Kathrin Hendrich’s cross.
Morocco kept the match competitive until the 39th minute when Popp doubled her tally with another excellent header, this time from a Klara Buhl corner kick. The Atlas Lionesses wilted after halftime and conceded twenty-three seconds into the second half when Buhl fired in after her initial cross caused chaos in the penalty area.
The onslaught continued in the second half with Moroccan own goals from Hanane Aït El Haj and Zineb Redouani making the score 5-0 in favor of the German team. Lea Schüller finished off the scoring in the 90th minute to give Germany the most lopsided victory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup so far, surpassing Japan’s winning margin over Zambia.
Click the link below to watch highlights from the opening match in Group H.
