Morocco secured their first-ever victory in the Women’s World Cup on Sunday, defeating South Korea 1-0 in their second Group H match, all but confirming the Asian side’s elimination.
Morocco is ranked 55 places lower than South Korea in the women’s rankings, yet attacker Ibtissam Jraidi scored the African team’s first World Cup goal.
Hanane Ait El Haj whipped in a cross from the right in the sixth minute, and Jraidi sprinted forward to make touch with a deft glancing header that went in at the far post.
“We are just so pleased our efforts have paid off. This victory is for Morocco and Arabs, it’s the fruit of our hard work,” Jraidi told reporters.
Park Eun-sun almost equalised with a diving header of her own at the other end, but her attempt went agonisingly wide of the post, much to the relief of Morocco’s custodian Khadija Er-Rmichi.
Germany found the net six times in their group opener, but Er-Rmichi was barely pressed by the South Koreans, who failed to have a shot on goal and struggled to make inroads into the final third as the Moroccan defenders held strong.
“There’s a sense of pride for us to pull this first World Cup win out of the bag,” coach Reynald Pedros said, dedicating the victory to the king of Morocco.
“We didn’t change our philosophy” after losing 6-0 to Germany, Pedros said. “The Korean team is not like the German team and we got off to a blinding start… We were efficient in the box, that was missing against Germany.”
Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina, the first player to wear a headscarf in the Women’s World Cup, made critical interceptions and nearly scored from a set piece when she volleyed a snapshot over the bar.
She even took one for the team when she purposefully clipped Ji So-yun, who was sprinting through on goal with support on a counterattack, taking a yellow card without protest.
Source: ESPN
