The consensus after the first round of the ninth Women's World Cup was that there are probably no longer any small teams in women's football. But for Morocco to still be in it, after their 6-0 defeat by Germany in their first match of the competition and first appearance at a World Cup, and now facing France in the round of 16, is extraordinary.
"We were as surprised as anyone. We thought we'd be playing either Germany or Colombia. Morocco decided otherwise. The probability was very low, and that's the beauty of it. We're going to concentrate on this match," said France striker Eugénie Le Sommer on Friday, the day after the Moroccans managed the feat of beating Colombia 1-0, which earned them a deserved place among the tournament's top 16 nations.
Morocco, number 72 in the FIFA rankings (although not for much longer), continue to progress. In 2022, at a home African Nations Cup, they reached the final, and lost 2-1 to the South Africans, who also qualified for the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup. "This World Cup is incredible. There are surprises, that's the magic of top-level sport. Nothing is written in advance, and we've just written this page," said Reynald Pedros, the French coach of the Atlas Lionesses.
This first-ever women's World Cup clash between France and Morocco is not only exciting for the fans, it also looks like an unexpected reunion. Like their male counterparts, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lionesses have a high proportion of dual national players in their ranks: thirteen in all, eight of them French-Moroccan, three of whom were called up to the national squad for the first time at the start of preparations for this World Cup.
The youngest member of Les Bleues, PSG's Laurina Fazer, played with two of them in the youth national team: Kenza Chapelle and Sarah Kassi. "They did something great. I congratulated them," said the 19-year-old midfielder, before adding, with a smile: "I'm happy for them, but once we're on the pitch, we're not friends." The third is Anissa Lahmari, a former PSG player, who scored the historic winning goal against Colombia on Thursday.
In all, six players in Morcco's squad play for French clubs, including Kassi at Fleury 91, which finished a surprising fourth in Division 1 at the end of the 2022-2023 season, and Chapelle, on loan to Nantes in Division 2 from Fleury. Lahmari is at the end of her contract with Guingamp. "We've all played with or against Moroccan players," said Le Sommer. "[The upcoming match] is a special moment for both countries."
You have 61.3% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.