Women's World Cup: Morocco knocked out after defeat to France
Morocco's fairytale run at the Women's World Cup ended on Tuesday after they were convincingly beaten 4-0 by France.
The Atlas Lionesses went behind in the 15th minute after forward Kadidiatou Diani headed home from close range.
Then two quick fire goals from midfielder Kenza Dali and striker Eugenie Le Sommer left the Moroccans with a mountain to climb.
The North African team regained some possession in the second half, but struggled to threaten the French goal. Le Sommer scored again in the 70th minute, ending any remaining hopes from the Moroccans.
France will now face host nations Australia in the quarter finals on Saturday.
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Despite the heavy loss, the tournament will go down as a resounding success for Morocco, who became the first Arab and North African team to take to the field in a Women's World Cup.
Qualifying for the last 16 seemed highly unlikely after they slumped to a heavy 6-0 defeat in their opener against Germany. But hard-fought back to back victories over South Korea and Colombia - teams ranked significantly above Morocco - secured their historic advance to the knockout stages.
The Moroccan men's teams stunning run to the semi finals of the World Cup in Qatar in December also came to an end after defeat against France.
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