Morocco claim historic Women's World Cup win over South Korea
South Korea Women were attempting to get off the mark against a Morocco side also looking to pick up their first points of the tournament after suffering a heavy defeat to Germany in their opening game.
Despite that 6-0 thumping at the hands of Germany, Morocco started brilliantly and deservedly took the lead inside six minutes when Hanane Aït El Haj’s cross was flicked in off the head of Jraïdi who scored her side’s first goal in six games.
South Korea were competing at their third successive WWC, however, they played like an inexperienced side at this level and were defensively all over the place.
The worst mistake came from Hong Hye-ji who almost turned a routine clearance into her own net.
Eun-Sun Park was a shining light for the Taegeuk Ladies in the first half however, and went inches away from equalising with a powerful header, but her miss saw Morocco head in with a narrow lead at the break.
The Taegeuk Ladies started to play more like the side ranked 55 places above their opponents in the second half, creating far more chances albeit without really testing Khadija Er-Rmichi in goal.
A combination of second-half defensive substitutions for Morocco and a poor miss from Casey Phair was enough for the African side to hold onto their narrow lead and claim a vital 1-0 victory and crucially gain three points.
Back-to-back defeats for South Korea now leave them at the mercy of Germany, who, if they avoid defeat against Colombia, will knock them out of the tournament.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Ibtissam Jraïdi (Morocco)
