Germany vs Morocco final score, highlights, result from 2023 Women's World Cup as Popp stars in thrashing

Dom Farrell

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Germany vs Morocco final score, highlights, result from 2023 Women's World Cup as Popp stars in thrashing image

Alexandra Popp netted a first-half double before Germany ran out 6-0 winners over Women's World Cup debutants Morocco in their Group H opener.

Popp, who suffered injury heartbreak when she had to withdraw from the Euro 2022 final after the warmup, got on the end of Kathrin Hendrich's pinpoint delivery to dispatch a 63rd international goal.

The Wolfsburg striker then doubled the lead from Klara Buhl's 39th-minute corner, and the excellent Buhl made it 3-0 within half a minute of the restart.

Morocco are the first Arab nation to play in a Women's World Cup and, at 72 in the FIFA rankings, the lowest-ranked team in the competition. Their cause was not helped by Hanane Ait El Haj putting through her own net in the 54th minute.

There was another unfortunate own goal for Yasmin Mrabet before substitute Lea Schuller completed the rout — an impressive statement from Germany in an opening round of games where other favourites for the competitions have struggled to play with such authority.

Germany vs Morocco final score

  Fulltime Goal scorers
Germany 6 Popp '11, '39,
Buhl '46,
Ait El Haj (OG) '54,
Mrabet (OG) '79,
Schuller '90
Morocco 0  

Starting lineups:

Germany (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Merle Frohms (GK) — 9-Svenja Huth, 3-Kathrin Hendrich, 23-Sara Doorsoun, 17-Felicitas Rauch — 20-Lina Magull (7-Lea Schuller), 18-Melanie Leupolz (14-Lena Lattwein), 13-Sara Dabritz  — 22-Jule Brand, 11-Alexandra Popp (10-Laura Freigang), 19-Klara Buhl (16-Nicole Anyomi)

Morocco (4-4-2 , right to left): 1-Er-Rmichi (GK) — 4-Sarah Kassi, 17-Hanane Ait El Haj, 21-Yasmin Mrabet 2-Zineb Redouani — 19-Sakina Ouzraoui, 6-Elodie Nakkach, 7-Ghizlane Chebbak 11-Fatima Tagnaout — 23-Rosella Ayane, 16-Anissa Lahmari (8-Salma Amani)

Germany vs Morocco as it happened, highlights, commentary from the 2023 Women's World Cup

Fulltime: Morocco get out of that absurd period of stoppage time with no further damage. A proud occasion become a chastening experience after halftime. Popp did what she does, wide attackers Brand and Buhl were both magnificent and Morocco defended corners like they were on the waltzers. Germany are emphatically off and running at the 2023 World Cup. Thanks for joining us.

90th minute+5: Schuller has the ball in the net again as Morocco fail to defend a corner adequately again. But the offside flag is up.

90th minute+1: Oh, good grief. The fourth official signals nine minutes of stoppage time. No one needs this, least of all Morocco.

90th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Lea Schuller!!!!

Again Germany cut Morocco apart fown the flanks. Er-Rmichi saves Lattwein's initial attempt from Freigang's cross but can't get the ball far enough away from goal and Schuller can dispatch a simple finish.

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86th minute: An enterprising attack from Morocco, there's been a few of those, ends with substitute Amani scuffing a shot to Frohms from the edge of the box.

83rd minute: Off comes Popp to a standing ovation. No hat-trick but an emphatic marker put down by the star striker, who has moved up to third on Germany's all-time goalscorers list.

79th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Yasmin Mrabet OG!!!!

Absolute chaos as the ball is swung into the near post. The hat-trick chasing Popp is in close proximity but Er-Rmichi punches the ball against the back of Mrabet's head and Redouani is unable to clear amid a scramble of bodies on the line.

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78th minute: Brandt chips into the six-yard box via a touch from Er-Rmichi. Kassi makes a vital clearance and it's a corner.

75th minute: Substitute Anyomi picks up the first booking of the contest for a rash tackle on Redouani. The Morocco defender got her ankle caught there, looked a nasty one. She seems to be okay.

70th minute: Those changes haven't upset Germany's rhythm. They're popping passes around with a real swagger. So many of the favourites have struggled during the opening round of matches but this is a bit of a statement performance.

65th minute: Triple change for Germany as Anyomi, Schuller and Lattwein replace Buhl, Magull and Leupolz. 

62nd minute: Oh my word, Ait El Haj almost nets her second own goal of the half. The defender deflected a low Brand cross towards her own net and Er-Rmichi was forced in a reaction save. Calm down everyone!

59th minute: Buhl gets, in the context of the game, an absolutely wild amount of room to operate in down the left. Morocco scramble her low delivery to safety.

54th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Ait El Haj (OG)!!!

Oh no, a calamity for Morocco. Buhl's latest swinging setpiece caused panic once more. The ball is half cleared to Huth, whose cross towards the near post is glanced across her own goal by Nakkach. There at the back post is Ait El Haj, who bundles into her own net. Not often you get a clear assist from a team-mate on an own-goal, I guess. One for the scrapbook!

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54th minute: Wonderful skill from Brandt, who skins two defenders. Er-Rmichi is out well and it's another corner for Buhl to deliver.

53rd minute: Lovely movie from Morocco and a fine finish from Lahmari but the Guingamp forward has strayed offside.

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49th minute: Buhl darts onto a clever dummy from Magull, who was in an offside position. She clatters the post and the offside flag goes up, presumably against Magull. That would have been an interesting one if it had gone in. Morocco, for all their good work in the first half, now look in severe danger of a drubbing.

46th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Klara Buhl!!!

Buhl gets the goal her performance has deserved. She started it herself by driving down the left. Again Morocco failed to deal with a quality cross, there was a little bit of pinball after Magull turns the ball against the crossbar and Buhl continues her run to crash home a finish.

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46th minute: We're back underway and, oh dear Morocco....

Halftime: Germany try one last raid down the Morocco left and why not? It's been a profitable area for them. The ball comes back to Buhl, whose shot is blocked and Reynalf Pedros' side get through to the interval without suffering any further damage.

45th minute+1: We're into three minutes of added time at the end of the first half.

43rd minute: Eyeing up a first-half hat-trick, Popp lines up a shot from distance but is off target.

41st minute: Lahmari springs Germany's high line, only to hesitate as Frohms guides her away from goal and Huth cuts out an attempted pass. The offside flag then goes up but that would have been an interesting one on an automated VAR check.

39th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Alexandra Popp!!!!

No doubts about this one. Pure muscular centre-forward play from Popp, who gets in between two defenders and contorts herself to connect to divert Buhl's corner beyond Er-Rmichi. That might have come off her shoulder but they all count. A mountain to climb now for the Lionesses of Atlas.

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33rd minute: GOOOAAAA....no! Dabritz is offside. That was a lovely finish but Popp's initial attempt at a throughball was blocked and once the Lyon midfielder was played in by Leupolz she'd strayed beyond the last defender.

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27th minute: Crosses from that right flank, Morocco's left, continue to cause problems for the North Africans. This one results in Felicitas Rauch having a shot blocked on the edge of the six-yard box by Kassi. Fellow midfielder Nakkach went down when trying to defend that attack but she'll be okay to continue.

24th minute: Morocco continue trying to ask questions of their illustrious foes. The ball breaks to Chebbak and she absolutely spanks one. Frohms gets in behind the shot but that certainly stayed hit.

18th minute: Morocco have regrouped and it's important they don't concede a flurry here. Ayane again tries to get in behind the Germany defence but strays offside on this occasion.

11th minute: GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!!! Alexandra Popp!!!!

Morocco give the ball straight back to Germany and don't heed the warning from that recent attack. Hendrich gets down the right flank and delivers a wonderful cross. Again Er-Rmichi is nowhere and Popp powers home her 63rd international goal.

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11th minute: Big chance for Germany! Er-Rmichi comes for a cross from the right and doesn't get there. Buhl heads a bouncing ball and it's cleared out of the goalmouth.

8th minute: Half an opening for Morocco as Kassi goes long and Ayane has one to chase over the top. The Tottenham forward beats Doorsoun for pace but the Germany fullback holds her ground to avert the danger.

4th minute: Buhl whips on to the back post. It flashes past everyone and Er-Rmichi waves it wide having got her angles spot on.

3rd minute: Germany, as you'd expect on the front foot. They have a dangerous free-kick on the left-hand side. Buhl standing over it.

3 mins from kickoff: The players are out, the anthems are done and they're into huddle for a few last-minute instructions and motivational nuggets.

10 mins from kickoff: We're closing in on kickoff in Melbourne but there's already been some World Cup action today in the Group G blockbuster between Italy and Argentina. Le Azzurre left it late but Cristiana Girelli fired them to victory. Read all about that below.

MORE: Italy vs Argentina final score, highlights as Italy scrape 1-0 win in Group H

20 mins from kickoff: Germany boss Marina Voss-Tecklenberg has been speaking pre-match.

I want to trust players to make decisions, to think about attacking and be creative,” said the German boss. “We want to have courageous players. We want them to develop a joy and passion for playing. I think we showed that at the Euros last year, with our defending, and with our willingness to counter-attack and play the ball straight away.

That [style] means always being active and alert. We work on that both on and off the pitch – and our amazing players create a positive atmosphere, which is the basis for success.

We want to be contenders for the title, to be a team who could be world champions,” she says. “That’s cool, a good feeling, and I think if everyone stays fit we can be a team to beat.

40 mins from kickoff: And this is how the Morocco XI looks.

50 mins from kickoff: Here's the Germany starting lineup. Wolfsburg duo Marina Hegering (heel) and Lena Oberdorf (thigh) are sitting this one out.

1 hour to kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Germany vs Morocco at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side were runners-up at Euro 2022 and will be hoping to go one better in Australia and New Zealand.

Germany vs Morocco lineups

Germany are without one the most exciting young midfielders at the tournament in Lena Oberdorf, who is laid low with a thigh complaint. Captain Alexandra Popp is still a lethal finisher even at the age of 32.

Germany (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Merle Frohms (GK) — 9-Svenja Huth, 3-Kathrin Hendrich, 23-Sara Doorsoun, 17-Felicitas Rauch — 20-Lina Magull, 18-Melanie Leupolz, 13-Sara Dabritz  — 22-Jule Brand, 11-Alexandra Popp, 19-Klara Buhl

Morocco will look to play with a solid and hard to break down formation in their opening World Cup match against a strong opponent, they will be hoping goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi can have a strong performance between the posts to hold out Popp and the German attack.

Morocco (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1-Er-Rmichi (GK) — 21-Yasmin Mrabet, 17-Hanane Ait El Haj, 2-Zineb — 19-Sakina Ouzraoui, 4-Sarah Kassi, 6-Elodie Nakkach, 11-Fatima Tagnaout — 7-Ghizlane Chebbak, 23-Rosella Ayane, 16-Anissa Lahmari

Germany vs Morocco TV channel, live stream

Germany's match against Morocco will be shown by broadcasters worldwide on both TV as well as online and via streaming platforms.

Country Television Streaming
Australia Optus Sport Optus Sport website/app
New Zealand Sky Sports 1, Prime TV Sky Sport NOW, Stuff World Cup website
USA FS1, Universo (Spanish) Fubo, Peacock, Fox Sports site/app
Canada TSN, RDS (French) TSN+, RDS.ca (French)
UK ITV ITVX
Singapore Singtel Singtel TV GO, MeWatch
Hong Kong NOW Sports Prime NOW Sports Prime
Malaysia — FIFA Plus
India DD Sport Fancode

Dom Farrell

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Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.