In a historic moment at the Women’s World Cup, Nouhaila Benzina became the first player to wear a hijab while playing, as Morocco secured their first-ever victory in a Group H match against South Korea in Adelaide.
Ibtissam Jraidi’s early header proved to be the decisive goal, granting the North African side a remarkable win, while South Korea’s chances of advancing in the tournament were severely diminished with one match still to play.
Previously, FIFA had banned religious head coverings in its sanctioned games citing “health and safety reasons,” but this restriction was overturned in 2014 following advocacy from activists, athletes, and soccer officials.
This progressive move paved the way for Nouhaila Benzina to make history with her hijab on the field.
Morocco’s triumph is a significant milestone for the team at the Women’s World Cup.
Despite being 55 ranks below South Korea in the women’s rankings, the African side made an early breakthrough with Ibtissam Jraidi’s remarkable header, securing their first-ever World Cup goal.
Although South Korea’s Eun-Sun Park came close to equalizing with a diving header, her effort narrowly missed the target.
Throughout the game, Morocco’s goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi was hardly tested by the South Korean team, who struggled to create chances and failed to register a shot on target.
Nouhaila Benzina showcased her defensive prowess with crucial interventions during the match and even came close to scoring herself from a set-piece, volleying a snapshot just over the bar.
In the late stages of the game, South Korea’s Casey Phair had an opportunity to level the score, but the 16-year-old, who had already made history as the youngest player to appear in a Women’s World Cup match during their previous defeat to Colombia, missed the target, leaving her team at the bottom of the group.
Collin Bell, the South Korea manager, said: “I can’t believe it, to be honest. We saved the worst two performances in my tenure for the World Cup. I didn’t recognise my own team.
“The reality is we were not good enough in both games. Why that was, we have to analyse in detail. I’m not going to let my emotions take over now and obviously we’re all very disappointed.
“The players are much better than they’ve shown in both matches and it really is almost unbelievable that we’ve performed like we have.”
Morocco’s tally of three points moves them level with Germany and Colombia in Group H, although those two sides meet later on Sunday.
South Korea have zero points and will be eliminated if Germany avoid defeat in Sydney.