Colombia, Morocco into round of 16, Germany exit with bitter draw

Colombia and debutants Morocco emerged as the last two qualifiers for the knockout stage at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, as Germany suffered a shock group stage exit from the tournament on Thursday. Reported Xinhua.

The two-time Women's World Cup winners could only draw 1-1 against underdogs South Korea, meaning they finished third in Group H with four points.

This is the first time in Women's World Cup history that Germany has failed to advance to the knockout stage.

The final two group games saw South Korea and Germany clash in Brisbane, while Morocco took on Colombia simultaneously in Perth.

Having swallowed two straight defeats, South Korea almost ended a goalless World Cup journey and came to the Brisbane Stadium rooted to the bottom of Group H.

But in just the sixth minute, a goal by 35-year-old midfielder Cho So-hyun from inside the penalty area gave South Korea a 1-0 lead over the heavyweights.

Despite their dominance in possession, Germany squandered several attempts at goal until the 42nd minute, when Alexandra Popp fired home a towering header to level the score.

In the second half, Popp attempted three more headers, but scored with none.

Her 57th-minute header was ruled out by VAR as she had strayed offside, the following one hit the crossbar, and the final attempt was saved by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi.

When the final whistle was blown and the score was sealed at 1-1, several Germany players couldn't hold back their tears on the pitch, as the result was not enough for them to surpass Morocco.

"My team did have to face a lot of emotions. I think we will have to find our composure again," Popp said at the post-game conference. "We do need a little bit of time now to process what has happened and to find some confidence again."

Meanwhile, a fierce battle at Perth Rectangular Stadium had a happy ending for all.

In first-half stoppage time, Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak saw her penalty saved by Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez, but Anissa Lahmari responded quickly to poke home the rebound.

The scoreline stayed that way until the final whistle, and the narrow victory saw Morocco leapfrog Germany to secure their place in the knockout stages of a Women's World Cup for the first time.

Colombia will now take on Jamaica, while Morocco will vie for a quarterfinal berth with France.