Morocco beat South Korea to claim first ever Women's World Cup victory
Debutantes Morocco claimed their first ever victory at the Women's World Cup beating South Korea 1-0 in their second Group H encounter on Sunday.
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The Atlas Lionesses, one of the lowest-ranked teams at the tournament at 72 in the world, were supposed underdogs against the 17th-ranked Koreans.
But they made by far the better start against their shell-shocked opponents with forward Ibtissam Jraïdi scoring in the 6th minute, heading a goal into the far corner.
South Korea had the majority of the possession but were unable to translate the advantage into many scoring opportunities.
Its best chance at equalising came in the 87th minute when 16-year-old New Jersey resident Casey Phair, the youngest player to appear at a World Cup, pushed a shot just wide of the post.
'Fruit of our hard work'
Having been thrashed 6-0 by Germany on their World Cup debut, Morocco's hard-earned win has kept alive its unlikely chances of reaching the last 16 in Australia and New Zealand.
"We are just so glad that our efforts paid off," said the goal-scorer Jraidi.
"I would like to dedicate this victory to Morocco and all the Arab nations at large. It was the fruit of our hard work."
South Korea now faces an early exit from Group H.
"I've experienced many ups and downs in football, and this is definitely one of the worst moments," said their coach Colin Bell.
Morocco will take on Colombia on the final day of the group stage Thursday in Perth in a match that may decide which of the two teams advances to the round of 16.
South Korea will play Germany in Brisbane.
Making hijab history
As well as a first Morocco victory ever at the tournament, defender Nouhaila Benzina made history in becoming the first player to wear a hijab during a Women's World Cup game.
World governing body FIFA lifted its ban on footballers wearing the hijab nearly a decade ago, after previous concerns over player safety.
Defender Benzina, 25, who plays her club football in Morocco, shared social media posts in the lead-up to the World Cup about wearing a hijab, but has not spoken to the media in Australia and New Zealand about it.
She told broadcaster Al Jazeera recently that it would be a proud moment.
"Lots of work was done over many years, and thank God it had a positive result," she said.
Several other sports have lifted hijab bans in recent years including basketball, but it is still not allowed during official football matches in France.
Read also:
- French collective seeks to overturn ban on wearing Islamic veils during football matches
- French court upholds ban on Islamic veils during football matches
(with newswires)
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