Morocco must wait for results in four other groups to discover whether they have done enough to reach the knockout stage of the Women’s U17 World Cup after suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat by Argentina on Friday.
The Atlas Lionesses needed only a draw in their final Group A match to secure a place in the last 16 at the tournament being held at home. Instead, they were beaten by Argentina, who are competing at the Women’s U17 World Cup for the first time.
The match was played on the fourth pitch at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, where Morocco’s poor start proved costly. Youness Rabie’s side conceded four times before half-time, with Argentina scoring in the 14th, 29th, 35th and 45th+2 minutes.
Morocco had also been punished by a difficult opening period in their previous match, a 4-2 defeat by Germany on Tuesday. That followed a promising start to the tournament, when they beat New Zealand 4-0 on 17 October.
They attempted to respond after the interval and reduced the deficit in the 58th minute through Paris Saint-Germain forward Nessma Mouradi, who is 17. Mouradi had also scored Morocco’s only goal against Germany, but her effort did not spark a wider recovery.
Argentina added a fifth goal in the 73rd minute to complete the victory and move above Morocco in the Group A standings.
Germany finished top with nine points from nine after beating New Zealand 2-0. Argentina’s win lifted them into second place, while Morocco dropped to third.
The hosts now have to wait for the conclusions of Groups C, D, E and F to learn whether they will qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams. Their route to the last 16 therefore remains open, but it is no longer under their direct control.
Morocco had faced a similar situation at the previous edition of the competition, when they also had to qualify through the best third-placed teams route to reach the knockout stage.