In their debut appearance at the Women's World Cup, Morocco secured a 1-0 victory against Colombia, earning a spot in the last 16 of the tournament.

Anissa Lahmari scored the crucial goal for the Atlas Lionesses in the dying moments of the first half during the intense match held in Perth, Australia.

In another match of Group H, two-time former champions Germany were held to a 1-1 draw by South Korea, resulting in their elimination from the competition.

Both Morocco and Colombia finished the group stage with six points, while Germany obtained four points and South Korea managed only one point.

Colombia topped the group, edging out Morocco on goal difference.

Throughout the first half, both teams created opportunities, but it was in stoppage time that Morocco had a real scoring chance when Colombia's Daniela Arias committed a foul in the penalty area against forward Ibtissam Jraidi.

Although Las Cafeteras' goalkeeper, Catalina Perez, made a save on Ghizlane Chebbak's penalty kick, midfielder Lahmari was quick to convert the rebound, securing the victory for Morocco in the ensuing goalmouth scramble.

In the second half, Colombia took control of the game, pushing for an equalizer. In the 59th minute, Daniela Montoya and Lorena Bedoya Durango attempted shots, testing Morocco's goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi.

Er-Rmichi displayed her skills once again in the 72nd minute, making a crucial save as she tipped teenage striker Linda Caicedo's shot over the bar.

The match had a frenzied finish, with both teams engaging in end-to-end action. However, Morocco, the newcomer to the World Cup, held on to their lead, continuing their remarkable journey in their debut campaign.

With the elimination of two-time former champions and one of the pre-tournament favorites, Colombia, from the competition, following Brazil, Italy, and Olympic champions Canada, the tournament has seen some surprising results in double-quick time.

“To be honest, it’s still hard to understand,” skipper Alexandra Popp, who scored the German goal and was their chief threat throughout, told German TV network ZDF.

“I still can’t quite understand what happened here.”

Morocco, who were thumped 6-0 by Germany in their opener before beating South Korea 1-0, move on to meet France in Adelaide and Colombia play Jamaica in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Moroccan fans have had plenty of celebrate with their national teams at the World Cup.

The Atlas Lionesses had created history just by qualifying, and then just by scoring their first win. Beating Colombia to knock Germany out of the tournament was completely unexpected for most.

Morocco’s men’s team also made World Cup history last year. In the 2022 men’s World Cup, the Atlas Lions advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986 and became the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.