Eugenie Le Sommer exhibited her prowess with a double strike, leading France to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Morocco in the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday. This win sets the stage for a quarter-final clash against co-hosts Australia.
Despite their notable upset against Germany and a strong debut in the tournament, Morocco struggled to make an impact against Herve Renard’s formidable French team in Adelaide.
Kadidiatou Diani initiated the scoring fifteen minutes into the match, and the advantage grew to 3-0 shortly after the midpoint of the first half, courtesy of additional goals from Kenza Dali and Le Sommer.
Experienced forward Le Sommer, the leading all-time scorer for France, found the back of the net once again, 20 minutes before the final whistle, in front of a crowd of 13,557. This victory secured Les Bleues’ spot in the quarter-finals with ease.
Their next challenge will be a match against Australia in Brisbane on Saturday. The victor of that encounter will move forward to face either England or Colombia in the semi-finals.
While France is eager to capture their first major women’s international title, Morocco approached the game with less pressure, as their World Cup journey had already been remarkably successful.
Morocco’s coach, former French international midfielder Reynald Pedros, retained the same starting lineup that secured a 1-0 victory over Colombia and a place in the knockout phase.
Renard made five changes from the France side that defeated Panama 6-3, including the return of Sakina Karchaoui as the left-back. Karchaoui, with Moroccan heritage, played a pivotal role in the opening goal with a strong run down the left flank, a swift pass exchange with Selma Bacha, and a cross for Diani to head into the net. This marked Diani’s fourth goal of the tournament, following her hat-trick against Panama in the final group game.
The second goal arrived in the 20th minute, with Diani delivering a pass to Dali, who calmly slotted home a first-time strike off the far post. The lead extended to 3-0 just three minutes later due to a defensive error, as Nesryne El Chad attempted to clear the ball but ended up playing it off Diani, who then set up Le Sommer.
At that juncture, Morocco might have dreaded a more one-sided defeat, reminiscent of the 6-0 loss they suffered against Germany in their opening game. However, France eased off the accelerator after that and managed to find the net only once more.
In the 70th minute, substitute Vicki Becho delivered a cross from the right, allowing Le Sommer to head in her 92nd international goal at the back post.
