Can Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses really roar Down Under?
MOROCCO are set to dive into unfamiliar territory as they make their first appearance at the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The North African country has made huge strides in the development of their football for both men and women – with the males reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar last year, which has led to fast-tracking for their national teams.
The Atlas Lionesses also carry the honour of being the first Arab nation to qualify for the world’s biggest football competition.
How they qualified
Morocco surprised a lot of their African counterparts when they strung together impressive performances to make the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
Their first appearance at a continental tournament, where they lost 2-1 to Banyana Banyana in the final in Rabat, ensured that they were one of four African representatives to strut their stuff at the World Cup – alongside South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia.
Players to watch Ghizlane Chebbak
Also the captain of the side, Chebbak has been the biggest name in Moroccan women’s football for a while, and her reputation has only been heightened with recent success.
The 32-year-old striker has an excellent record of 21 goals in 60 games for the Atlas Lionesses.
Chebbak plies her trade for Moroccan club AS FAR, which has dominated the domestic front by winning the league 10 times in the last 11 seasons. Fatima Tagnaout
A teammate of Chebbak at club level, Tagnaout is being touted as the next big thing for Moroccan football as she continues to dazzle on the continental stage.
The left-footed midfielder is explosive, technical and possesses a hammer of a left foot, which makes her one of the names to look out for at the World Cup. Group Stages
Morocco will kick off their World Cup campaign against Germany in Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium tomorrow (10.30am SA time).
South Korea will be next on the agenda in Adelaide on July 30 (6.30am), while Morocco’s final group game is against Colombia (12pm) at Perth Oval on August 3.
The draw has placed the 72nd-ranked Morocco in a balanced group with a set of fixtures that offers an opportunity for the débutantes to make the next round.
The biggest question for Morocco is likey to be that of experience and big-match temperament as the occasion has seemingly gotten the better of Zambia already, which lost 5-0 to Japan yesterday.
The North Africans will draw inspiration from their male counterparts, who extraordinarily reached the semi-finals of the World Cup last year.