Morocco's women's national football team qualifies for the World Cup for the first time
Morocco is in luck in the world of football. This time the good news comes from the women's national team, which has qualified for the first time for the World Cup of the category after reaching the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2022) hosted by the Alawi kingdom itself.
This milestone came thanks to Morocco's 2-1 win over Botswana on Wednesday in a match played at the Moulay Abdellah Rabat stadium in the quarter-finals of the African national team championship.
The Atlas Lionesses achieved this great achievement which is a real boost to women's football in the North African country after a good match against the Botswana team.
The work well done by the Moroccan Football Federation has paid off because the Kingdom is committed to organising the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, a competition that serves to award places for the Women's World Cup and, precisely, the Moroccan team has managed to reach the semi-finals, which gives them a place in the World Cup for the first time in their history.
Morocco beat Botswana in a good game for the North African team. The Moroccans took the lead early in the game thanks to a goal from striker Sanaa Mssoudy, who deflected in a free-kick from midfielder Fatima Tagnaout.
Botswana then equalised through striker Keitumetse Dithebe, who masterfully converted a free-kick in the seventh minute.
The Atlas Lionesses overcame the blow and managed to take the lead again shortly after the break. In the 59th minute, from another Fatima Tagnaout delivery, defender Yasmin Mrabet headed home at the far post to make it 2-1.
The winners of the clash between Cameroon and Nigeria on 14 July now await in the semi-finals. The Moroccan players will have to play either Cameroon or Nigeria for a place in the final of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
On the other side of the draw, Zambia also progressed to the semi-finals with a penalty shoot-out win over Senegal after a 1-1 draw at the end of normal time. The other semi-finalist who will meet the Zambians will come from the match between South Africa and Tunisia on Thursday 14.
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 13, 2022
Morocco will be looking to win the continental title for the first time in a competition historically dominated by Nigeria, who have won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations on 11 occasions since the tournament was first staged in 1991. Only Equatorial Guinea have been able to unseat the Nigerians in the two editions in which the Nigerian team did not triumph.
Thus, with the support of the home crowd, the Moroccan players made it through to the World Cup, which will be played from 20 July to 20 August 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, marking a real success for Moroccan women's football.
