Tottenham Women star Rosella Ayane and Morocco stun the footballing world at World Cup
Sometimes football throws up scripts that not even the best filmmakers could produce and leaves viewers wondering exactly what has just happened, as Tottenham Women star Rosella Ayane has now discovered.
Flashback to Monday 24 July, Germany have just beaten Morocco 6-0 in their opening game at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The European giants are expected to storm through as group favourites and very few people would have believed at this point the Atlas Lionesses would qualify at the expense of last year’s European Championship runners-up.
Now fast-forward to Thursday 3 August, and this is exactly what has happened. The Germans, ranked second in the world, were held to a 1-1 draw by South Korea while Morocco, ranked 72nd in the world, defeated Colombia 1-0 to finish second in Group H, with their South American opponents topping the table.
Anissa Lahmari’s goal, which she bundled in via a rebound after captain Ghizlane Chebbak missed her penalty, will live long in the memories of Moroccans everywhere.
It defies expectations and will have left many around the footballing world in shock, stunned at what they had just seen. For Morocco, it marks the knockout stages in their first-ever appearance at a Women’s World Cup.
Meanwhile, for Germany, it represents the first time in nine appearances at the same competition that they haven’t qualified from their group. History has well and truly been made.
Going into the final two matches in the group, Morocco needed to win and hope that the Germans didn’t. It seemed an unlikely task, but that is exactly what happened.
They had previously made history at this tournament when they became the first Arabic nation to win a match at a Women’s World Cup and have become the only debutant country of the eight in total at this competition to escape the group.
With the men’s side becoming the first African side to reach a men’s World Cup semi-final back in December, history is continuing to be made for the nation.
Spurs star Rosella Ayane is part of the squad making that history and although she hasn’t started either of the country’s previous two victories, she has featured in both and came on as a late substitute against Colombia.
During her 14 minutes on the pitch, she completed three of her four passes and won a ground duel as she helped her teammates see out the well-earned victory (Sofascore).
Morocco’s reward is a face-off with France, ranked fifth in the world, on 8 August in the last 16, as they will look to once again defy the odds and go through at the expense of another football heavyweight.
Five Spurs stars will now represent their countries in the knockout stages as Ayane joins Bethany England, Luana Buhler, Drew Spence and Rebecca Spencer.
In other Tottenham News, the club could claim a financial victory in the signing of a brand new centre-back.