The women’s soccer team will clash against Morocco in the second round of Group H, which will be held at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia at 1:30 pm (Korean time) on the 30th. In the first game against Colombia on the 25th, they lost 0-2. Ahead of the final match against strong Germany on the 3rd of next month, the match against Morocco is a game in which three points must be won. The same goes for Morocco, who lost 0-6 in the first leg against Germany. Losing both teams is literally a brinkmanship, meaning two consecutive losses, or elimination in the round of 16.
If you’re a Jiji, you’re a baekjeonbaektae. It is necessary to know more about Morocco women’s soccer, which is the first World Cup. Morocco, ranked 72nd in the FIFA rankings, is considered the weakest team in Group H, but it is a team with strength that cannot be ignored. Ji So-yeon also said, “Ranks are meaningless in a match like this. 안전놀이터 Both teams are in desperate need of a first win, so it will be a fierce match. Who is less desperate and who does not make more mistakes will determine the outcome.” She said, “I will only think about winning and work actively.”
Local and foreign media are also interested in Morocco, which made history as the first Arab country to participate in the World Cup. Australia’s local media, DW, evaluated that Morocco’s World Cup finals were not a coincidence, but the result of continuous investment led by the Moroccan government.
The Moroccan Football Association started investing in women’s football in 2009, and in 2020, when President Puji Rekhya established a four-year plan for the development of women’s football, the scene began to develop rapidly. A women’s professional soccer league divided into 1-2 divisions was launched, and through this, it was guaranteed a minimum salary for all players and coaching staff in the entire team. Support for grassroots women’s soccer has also begun in earnest.
Not only that, but he also ventured to invest in and innovate the national team. During his tenure at Olympique Lyonnais, a prestigious French women’s football club, he recruited French coach Reynal Pedros, who led the women’s European Champions League championship twice during his tenure from 2017 to 2019, and focused on raising the level of the A national team. In 2018, right after Choi In-cheol’s resignation as the national team manager, he was also a person who was highly regarded as the Korean women’s soccer coach. Coach Pedros introduced the training standards and tactics of losing to Moroccan women’s soccer while also boosting the players’ confidence. Overseas players such as captain and spiritual leader Gizlan Shebak, born in 1990, Rosella Yayane (Tottenham), Yasmin Mrabet (Spain), and Elodie Nakak (France), born in Reading, England, are considered key players. Ji So-yeon, who once played with Ayane during her time at Chelsea, explained, “She is a threatening player. She is a player who can shoot from anywhere, regardless of distance, whether with her left foot or right foot.”
Morocco’s passion for women’s soccer is beyond imagination. Last year, more than 45,000 Moroccan women’s football fans gathered at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Cup semi-final against Nigeria held at Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Morocco advanced to the final by beating Nigeria, the 11th champion of Africa, in a penalty shootout (1-1 draw) amid the unilateral support of home fans. On the 27th at the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup stage, Nigeria also showed the power of Africa by defeating Australia, the host country, 3-2. Morocco lost to South Africa 1-2 and won the runner-up, but after this tournament, women’s football fever was heating up. Shebak recorded 3 goals and 1 assist in this tournament and was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Shebak said, “Everything has changed after finishing runners-up in the Africa Cup of Nations. We are able to lead social engagement through women’s football. The love of the fans motivates us to keep running, and the Moroccan Football Association helps us to be in the best condition. Of course, it will take time, but I am sure that sooner or later the day will come when Moroccan women’s football will shine.”
Shebak’s father is Larvi Shebak, a legendary midfielder who played for the Moroccan men’s national soccer team in the 1970s. Ahead of this tournament, Gizlan Shebak said, “I grew up with the active support of my football-loving family. My father always gives me advice. I am happy to make my father more proud through this World Cup.” However, in Morocco, an Arab country, most women who love football face opposition from their families. Shebak hoped that this World Cup would serve as an opportunity to break social and cultural prejudices, saying, “We are losing many talents due to social gaze or family opposition. Families are often afraid or discouraged from letting their daughters play soccer.” She continued, “We did not come here just to participate in the World Cup. Nobody expects it, but in the end we want to be a team that surprises everyone.” made the will clear.