Morocco’s hopes of an automatic place in the last 16 of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup slipped away on Friday evening, when Argentina won 5-1 in Group A at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat.
The hosts only needed a draw to go through directly, as we noted in our preview of the match. Instead, Argentina scored in the 14th, 29th, 35th and 45th-plus-2 minutes before adding a fifth in the 73rd, according to Ghanasoccernet.
Morocco’s goal and the group picture
Morocco’s only goal came in the 58th minute from 17-year-old Nessma Mouradi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain. It was her second goal of the tournament, after she also scored in the 4-2 defeat to Germany.
The Lioncelles finish the group stage third, on three points, following their 4-0 win over New Zealand and the two defeats. Germany topped the group with nine points after beating New Zealand 2-0, and Argentina took second place.
What happens next
Morocco are not out. The 16-team knockout stage is made up of the six group winners, the six runners-up and the four best third-placed teams, so the hosts must now wait for the remaining matches.
- Third-placed teams are ranked on points, then goal difference, then goals scored, then fair play, according to the tournament’s regulations summarized on Wikipedia.
- Ghanasoccernet reports that Morocco’s fate now depends on results in Groups C, D, E and F.
It would not be a new situation: the same report notes that Morocco also had to rely on the best-third-place route at the previous edition. For now, the young team and their home crowd are left to follow the other groups closely.
Sources: Ghanasoccernet, ESPN, Wikipedia
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