Group H at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is now complete, meanng that the group stages are done and dusted as 16 teams have booked their spot in the round of 16.
And as has been the case so far this summer, both the South Korea-Germany and Morocco-Colombia games were entertaining affairs through out.
South Korea, who had yet to pick up a point or score a single goal, were simply playing for pride as it's been a truly frustrating campaign for Colin Bell's team. Many expected the Asian nation to suffer a humiliating loss to a German team who desperately needed a win to progress, but as is the case in football, the unexpected happened.
Cho So-Hyun grabbed an early goal to score her team's first in the tournament, shocking the Germans who were still clearly rattled following their 2-1 loss to Colombia on matchday two. Although Korea were unable to hang on for all three points after Alexandra Popp equalized, the 1-1 draw means a shocking fact: Germany will not progress to the round of 16 for the first time in national history.
Germany's loss to Colombia on matchday two snapped a 20 game unbeaten streak in the group stages for the number two ranked side in women's football. The last time Germany did lose in a World Cup group stage was way back in 1995, when they were beaten 3-2 by Sweden.
Meanwhile, Morocco, who are one of eight teams making their debut, had kept their round of 16 qualification hopes alive thanks to their hard-fought 1-0 win over South Korea. The Lionesses of Atlas endured a humiliating 6-0 drubbing by Germany on matchday one, but rebounded well to beat Korea and merely needed to better Germany's result against Korea in order to progress.
A goal from Anissa Lahmari in stoppages during the first half was enough to decide a tense affair against Colombia, and means that the Lionesses of Atlas not only have qualified for the round of 16 for the first time in team history, but now, this stage will have three African teams at this juncture for the first time ever, with Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco all securing a spot alongside the 13 other contenders for the World Cup title.
Next up will be the round of 16, which many fans will be looking forward to to seeing what new surprises are in store.
