MADRID, 7 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The national teams of France and Morocco meet this Tuesday (1:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time) for a ticket to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, in a round of 16 with Colombia and Jamaica trying to strike the bell again ( 10.00 hours) after leaving Germany and Brazil out of their groups, respectively.
At Coopers Stadium in Adelaide, French and Moroccan women will emulate their male teammates, who met in the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar, in a tie in which the ‘Lionesses of the Atlas’, the first rookie team to reach the round of 16 in a women’s World Cup event, they hope to follow the path of the boys. Ahead awaits, in the quarterfinals, the host Australia.
The African team, led by Frenchman Reynald Pedros, managed to advance to the next round in Group H in which they started off on the wrong foot after losing resoundingly to Germany (6-0). However, the subsequent victories against South Korea (0-1) and Colombia (1-0) guaranteed him the pass as second after the ‘cafeteras’ and leaving out the Germans.
They will face the France of Hervé Renard, coach of Saudi Arabia in the World Cup in Qatar and who managed to surprise Leo Messi’s Argentina. The galas, third in the last Eurocup, have more experience after reaching the quarterfinals in the last three World Cup tournaments (2011, 2015 and 2019).
In their debut, the ‘Bleus’ did not go beyond a draw against Jamaica (0-0), but they banished any hint of doubt by beating Brazil (2-1), surprisingly eliminated, and Panama (3-6) in a match in in which PSG striker Kadidiatou Diani scored a hat-trick.
For their part, Colombia and Jamaica want to continue making history at AAMI Park in Melbourne and meet England in the penultimate round. The ‘cafeteras’, led by Nelson Abadía and with Linda Caicedo as the big star -after signing two of the team’s four goals-, have reached the round of 16 in the World Cup for the second time in their history, and are ready to fight.
Against all odds, the ‘Superpowers’, who will form without the suspended Manuela Vanegas, led Group H ahead of the Moroccans, precisely against those who fell (1-0) in a last game of the phase that they had already reached with homework done. The victories against South Korea (2-0) and Germany (1-2) had sealed their ticket.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican team arrives at the event as the only team unbeaten in the entire tournament, but also with the handicap of their lack of gunpowder after having scored just one goal in three games. After their draw against France in their debut (0-0), the ‘Reggae Girlz’ beat Panama by a minimum (0-1) and completed the phase with another goalless duel against Brazil (0-0), to which They eliminated from the World Cup.