Women's World Cup Daily: Germany fails to reach knockout stage for first time ever
Germany will not advance to the round of 16 for the first time in FIFA Women's World Cup history, after it failed to get all three points against South Korea on Thursday at Suncorp Stadium. Colombia and Morocco will move on from Group H.
Here's a recap of everything that happened on the final day of group play and a look-ahead to the round of 16.
[Full 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup bracket]
WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
— Germany is now the highest-ranked team ever (No. 2) to not advance to the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup. Germany had won its group in seven of the previous eight Women's World Cups prior to Thursday.
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— South Korea's Cho So-hyun became the first South Korean to score multiple goals at the Women's World Cup.
Read more: South Korea vs. Germany highlights: Germany eliminated after 1-1 draw
— Colombia won its group for the first time ever at the Women's World Cup, despite losing to Morocco 1-0. Morocco advanced as the Group H runner-up.
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— This is the first time ever that three African teams have made the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup. Morocco is the fourth African country to ever reach the Women's World Cup knockout stage.
Read more: Morocco vs. Colombia highlights: Morocco upsets Colombia 1-0 to advance
— After a disappointing string of games in the group stage, the United States will enter its round of 16 matchup with Sweden as the underdog, Martin Rogers writes.
Read more: USWNT's dynasty has officially been put on notice
— The USWNT is preparing itself for a battle in the air against Sweden. "It's a team that can bring the aerial presence, set pieces, the crossing ability, getting people in the box," Lindsey Horan said.
Read more: Why set pieces could be the difference in USA-Sweden matchup
— Horan admitted that she's been hurt by some of the outside criticism of the USWNT. "But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. I don't really care. It's about what's going on inside of here and inside of the team and getting ready for that next game," Horan said.
Read more: U.S. captain Lindsey Horan on outside criticism: It 'hurts a little bit'
RECAPPING THE DAY
Assist of the Day: South Korea's stunner
Young-Ju Lee's sneaky through ball setup So-Hyun Cho's goal, which ultimately eliminated Germany from the tournament. South Korea clearly didn't mind playing the role of spoiler, as it created dangerous chances all match.
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Save of the Day: A crucial block
A goal from Colombia would have seen Germany go through to the knockout stage over Morocco on goal differential. Morocco's goalkeeper, Khadija Er-Rmichi, did all she could to make sure that didn't happen, saving three shots inside the box, including this one from point-blank range.
Goal of the Day: Third time's the charm
After a missed penalty and a failed attempt to score on the rebound, Morocco's Anissa Lahmari navigated through the chaos in the box and put the ball into the back of the net. Its significance for Morocco can't be understated.
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Must-See Moment: The wait is over
Morocco had to wait until the final whistle of Germany-South Korea to find out whether it was advancing. Once they saw the final score, the Moroccans celebrated on the pitch.
LOOKING AHEAD
FOX Sports research numbers to know
150 — Switzerland's all-time leading appearance maker and scorer Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic won her 150th cap against New Zealand, extending her record as the country’s most-capped player.
Switzerland vs. Spain (coverage begins at 12 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 1 a.m. on FS1)
4 — Japan's Hinata Miyazawa leads all goalscorers at the tournament with four goals. She most recently scored a brace in Japan's 4-0 win over Spain.
Japan vs. Norway (coverage begins at 3:30 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 4 a.m. on FS1)