The Moroccan Atlas Lionesses created a surprise by qualifying for the round of 16 of the competition. Under the management of former France international Reynald Pedros, the team will take on Herve Renard’s French Bleues in a crucial game on Tuesday August 8 in Adelaide, Australia.
This unexpected shock echoes the semi-final lost by the Atlas Lions men against the Blues during the World Cup in Qatar last December. The French women’s team, big favorites of the meeting, carry all the pressure of victory on their shoulders. A premature elimination would be considered a failure after the promises made by Hervé Renard, who took charge of the team in April, thus succeeding Corinne Deacon.
On the side of Morocco, the team has already achieved a good performance by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in its history. Despite a crushing defeat against Germany (6-0), the Atlas Lionesses managed to get ahead of the Germans in Group H. The team is made up of both local players from AS FAR (Rabat) , the main women’s club in the country, and bi-national players recently convinced to join the Moroccan team.
Morocco’s French coach Reynald Pedros has expressed his determination to beat the France team, saying he will have no remorse at eliminating his home country. This meeting will also be an opportunity for Pedros to reunite with the Lyon players he trained when he was at the head of the Lyon women’s team.
In a competition full of surprises, the Moroccans intend to surf on this dynamic to try to create a new exploit. For their part, the French Bleues, aware of their status as favorites, intend to use their experience to achieve victory and qualify for the quarter-finals.
This round of 16 between France and Morocco promises to be an intense and contested match. The stakes are high for both teams, who will fight to advance to the next stage of the competition and continue to thrill the fans