France cruised to an easy 4-0 win over Morocco on Tuesday at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide to end Africa’s quest at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Playing at its first ever Mundial, the Atlas Lioness had surprised even themselves by qualifying from a group that had Germany, Colombia and South Korea to set up a round of 16 tie against France but were taught another lesson by the Coach Herve Renard’s side.
On its way to the stage, Morocco had upset the odds to qualify for the last 16 at the expense of Germany, ending up second on the table behind Colombia.
In a match which pitted the proverbial Goliath versus David, France took an early lead through striker Kadidiatou Diani, who incidentally, has Moroccan roots, scoring an easy header in the 15th minute.
Two other goals in the first half by Kenza Dali and Le Sommer made it 3-0 before veteran striker, Le Sommer, France’s all-time top scorer, netted again 20 minutes from time as Les Bleues advanced to the last eight where they will take on co-hosts Australia for a semi-finals ticket.
The ouster of Morocco brought to an end the World Cup for Africa following South Africa and Nigeria’s exit earlier.
However, reaching the second round at the first attempt will be seen as a huge achievement for the North Africans and a testament to the giant strides and investments the country has put into its football.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccan male team became the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, another example of the success the country has made of its football.