Women’s World Cup: Germany is out and Morocco marches on in a thrilling conclusion to group play

Germany is out. Morocco is in.

In a breathtaking conclusion to the group stage of the women’s World Cup on Thursday, Germany managed only a 1-1 tie against South Korea, while Morocco earned a 1-0 result over Colombia. Added together, the two-time champion Germans failed for the first time in their history to advance to the tournament’s knockout stage. And Morocco, the first majority Arab country to play in a women’s World Cup, was through to the final 16 in its tournament debut.

The day’s matches occurred simultaneously, delivering riveting drama as the fates of a pre-tournament favorite and a World Cup newcomer swung back and forth.

In the sixth minute, South Korea’s Cho So-hyun got free behind Germany’s back line and scored the Taegeuk Ladies’ first goal of the tournament. All of a sudden, the No. 2 team in the world was in trouble. But a patented Alexandra Popp header in the 42nd minute helped Germany level the score just before halftime.

At the time, Morocco was mired in a scoreless draw with Colombia, which, combined with the tie in the Germany-South Korea game, would have sent the Atlas Lionesses home. But minutes later, Anissa Lahmari tapped in a rebound off a saved penalty kick in stoppage time to give Morocco a 1-0 lead. As both games entered halftime, it was Germany that was back on the ropes.

Over the final 45 minutes, the Germans needed a go-ahead goal of their own or they needed Morocco to concede a tying goal to Colombia. They got neither.

There were plenty of close calls along the way. Popp had a goal disallowed on a VAR-aided offsides call, then hit the post in the 60th minute. Meanwhile, Moroccan keeper Khadija Er-Rmichi made a reaction-time save on a close-range blast by 18-year-old Colombian superstar Linda Caicedo in the 73rd minute.

After Morocco clinched its victory over Colombia, it huddled around a cell phone, watching nearly 17 agonizing minutes of stoppage time in the Germany-South Korea game. A last-ditch try by German substitute Sydney Lohmann sailed just over the crossbar, preserving a 1-1 result that was not enough to keep pace with Morocco and Group H winner Colombia in the standings.

The outcome was unthinkable not even 10 days ago, when Germany opened the tournament with a 6-0 drubbing of Morocco behind two goals from Popp and two own goals from the Atlas Lionesses. The Germans appeared poised for a deep tournament run that nearly everyone expected, but they sputtered out in stunning fashion with a 2-1 loss to Colombia and the draw against the spoiler South Koreans.

The field for the women’s World Cup expanded this year from 24 teams to 32. It has now been whittled down to 16, following the final matches of the group stage on Thursday. The following teams qualified from each group:

In addition to Germany, the bracket does not include defending Olympic champions Canada; Brazil, which failed to make it out of the group stage for the first time since 1995; and New Zealand, which became the first host country to be eliminated before the knockout round of a women’s World Cup.

» READ MORE: Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams and the USWNT try to fix what’s wrong before it’s too late

Germany 1, South Korea 1

Morocco 1, Colombia 0

Er-Rmichi was in the unenviable position of having to stop Caicedo with the game — and the tournament — on the line and came through with a critical second-half save.

Morocco’s reaction to clinching a spot in the round of 16 is worth a listen in English and in Arabic.

Germany’s exit was just the latest in a series of stunning outcomes for many of the tournament’s favorites. Brazil was eliminated yesterday after a 0-0 draw with Jamaica, a result that ended the World Cup career of 37-year-old legend Marta.

“Not even in my worst nightmares was it the World Cup I dreamed of,” Marta said in an emotional post-match interview after competing in the tournament for the sixth time. “But it’s just the beginning. … I’m done here, but they’re still here.”

Elsewhere, U.S. captain Lindsey Horan responded to criticism from Fox commentator and former teammate Carli Lloyd about the team’s lackluster play in the group stage.

The tournament takes a brief pause before the round of 16 starts on Saturday. Here is the schedule for the weekend:

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