Aaron Rodgers looks to have been given a new lease of life upon being traded for the New York Jets.

It appears a burden has been lifted from his shoulders, with the 39-year-old quarterback seen joking with teammates and a smile often plastered on his face.

However, there was nothing Rodgers could do as he sat on the sidelines while his Jets lost to the Cleveland Browns in the traditional NFL season curtain-raiser, the Hall of Fame game.

Rodgers was rested as the Jets lost 21-16 on Thursday night, with Cleveland mounting a second-half comeback to claim the first preseason victory of the 2023 season.

In a game which was lacking most of its star talent – Rodgers and Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson included – it presented an opportunity for the rotation and fringe players to make a case for themselves.

And Browns’ rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson made the most of his opportunity, starting the whole of the second half and leading two touchdown scoring drives to make the race for the team’s back-up quarterback closer than previously thought.

With Rodgers not playing, attention turned to Jets quarterback Zach Wilson after a disappointing time with the team since being picked No. 2 overall in 2021.

Wilson, playing on his 24th birthday, showed glimpses of why he was so highly regarded during the draft process in his brief foray on the field, going 3-for-5 for 65 passing yards and setting up the game’s first score with a 57-yard completion to wide receiver Malik Taylor.

But it was fifth-round rookie Thompson-Robinson who stole the show with his pair of second-half touchdowns, putting Cleveland ahead when his 22-yard touchdown pass found Austin Watkins Jr. with just over nine minutes left.

The game was disrupted in the fourth quarter when a section of the lights in the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium went out, descending the pitch into darkness.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Jets coach Robert Saleh met with game officials at midfield while the problem was dealt with. The contest was delayed for approximately 15 minutes before restarting.

After documenting training practices – now viewed as abusive – of elite gymnastics in her 1995 book, “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes,” sports journalist and author Joan Ryan found herself unable to watch the sport.

But nearly 30 years later and with the 2024 Olympics on the horizon, Ryan is “all in after not wanting to watch gymnastics for a long, long time.” Simone Biles, at least in part, is the reason why.

Two years ago, Biles surprised fans around the world when she withdrew from five event finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She ultimately returned to earn bronze on the balance beam — her 32nd medal between the Olympics and World Championships. Then she disappeared from competitive gymnastics.

Now, the seven-time Olympic medalist is back, scheduled to compete at the US Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on Saturday. This time, the 26-year-old Biles appears as not only the most decorated gymnast in US history, but also a role model in efforts to draw attention to athlete mental health.

“We’ve never seen an athlete like Simone Biles,” Ryan said. “For her to step away because of gymnastics, because of what she went through, because of the culture in her sport, it highlights what this sport is all about.”

“Here’s this incredible woman who just seemed like she could do anything — a superhero. And yet that sport was corrosive enough and abusive enough that she really had to step away for her own mental health,” added Ryan.

Biles opted out of the team final in Tokyo while suffering from the “twisties,” a mental block that causes gymnasts to lose track of their position while midair. USA Gymnastics later announced that she had withdrawn from the individual all-around final, citing a need to prioritize her mental health, as well as the vault, floor and uneven bars finals.

“Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out,” Biles told reporters at the time. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”

Biles was replaced in the all-around final by Jade Carey, who had finished ninth in the qualifying round. Carey, now a rising junior at Oregon State University, looked to Biles’s decision with admiration.

Biles returned to earn bronze on the balance beam — her 32nd medal between the Olympics and World Championships. Her 19 World Championships gold medals is the most by any gymnast in history.

For fans accustomed to seeing Biles dominate competitions with ease, her departure in 2021 was an unexpected move. She had dazzled crowds at the 2016 Rio Olympics, earning five medals, including four golds. Many expected her to do the same — or even better — in Tokyo. But for some more familiar with the intense physical and psychological demands of the sport, Biles’ decision to opt out of competition was more unprecedented than it was surprising.

“(Biles’s departure) was shocking in that nobody else had ever in gymnastics stood up and said ‘Enough. Right now, this is enough, and I need to take care of myself no matter what everybody wants from me on the biggest stage on the planet,’” Ryan said.

Ryan’s book criticized USA Gymnastics – previously known as US Gymnastics Federation – for turning a blind eye to abusive training throughout the 1980s and 1990s and prioritizing success over health, while ignoring devastating consequences: eating disorders, depression and other mental health challenges, as well as debilitating and sometimes fatal injuries.

“I just stood back, and I was like, ‘Good for you girl,’” Ryan said of Biles’s withdrawal. “This is exactly what you should be doing, taking care of yourself and not just doing what everybody wants you to do.”

Biles faced backlash for her decision on social media, where some users argued her withdrawal was a moment of weakness or abandonment of her team. Others, like Ryan, viewed it as a testament to how the demands of elite gymnastics can wear down even the most talented individuals.

At the time of the Tokyo Olympics, Biles was preparing to testify at a US Senate hearing about the FBI’s suspected mishandling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse investigation. More than 150 athletes, including Biles, said that the former USA Gymnastics team doctor sexually abused them under the guise of providing medical treatment. Allegations against Nassar were first presented in July 2015, but no arrest was made until December 2016.

Before the Senate Judiciary Committee in August 2021, Biles criticized “an entire system that enabled and perpetuated his abuse,” including USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She later told New York magazine that she “should have quit way before Tokyo, when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years.”

It reinforced what Ryan had observed through interviews with nearly 100 athletes, trainers, sports psychologists and other experts while writing her book: that “the whole structure of gymnastics actually focused on not caring at all about what happens to these girls.”

“The dangling gold medal at the end of their career, or during their careers … and they needed to get there and no holds barred,” Ryan said.

“USA Gymnastics has been an absolute disaster for years and unfortunately not enough has changed for us to believe in a safer future,” Raisman said. “I think this just really shows the lack of leadership of USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee.”

However, there is hope that a brighter future is in store for USA Gymnastics. A new mission statement, organizational values and an Athlete Bill of Rights were adopted in late 2020. More than two-thirds of the organization’s staff joined in 2018 or later.

“It is incredibly gratifying to see athletes like Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas and Suni Lee being excited and happy to return to the sport,” Geer wrote. “That elite gymnastics is a sport they want to come back to reinforces that USA Gymnastics has been on the right track with our cultural transformation. It is something we continue to work on every day.”

In October 2022, USA Gymnastics announced a new policy that allows for all National Team members to receive up to eight mental health care visits per year, to be reimbursed up to $125 per visit by USA Gymnastics.

The policy has since been reviewed, according to Geer, and USA Gymnastics will now cover more than eight mental health care visits per year for National Team athletes “if there is a surplus of funds projected for the year.”

The organization had previously implemented a mental health emergency action plan for all National Team camps and competitions, as well as providing an onsite “psychological services provider” at “nearly all” artistic gymnastics National Team camps.

As for Biles’s return — and that of 2012 Olympic gold-medalist Douglas — Ryan is optimistic that it is proof of positive change within elite gymnastics, including a shift away from the idea that young, often prepubescent teenage girls are the ideal age for competitive gymnastics, and that those entering adulthood are nearing retirement.

“It’s going to show that you don’t need to be 14, that you can be the best in the world at 27,” Ryan said. “That’s enormous, right? That you can stay in this sport and stay healthy in this sport, because you can’t compete at 27 unless you’ve taken care of yourself.”

“I just can’t imagine there’s still rot at the core of USA Gymnastics,” Ryan added. “Those women are not going to let that happen.”

Fans and fellow athletes alike are excited to witness the gymnastics great back in action on Saturday. Biles topped the all-around field at the US women’s national team camp in July, winning the event with a score of 57.650.

“Simone’s return is very exciting, and I am looking forward to getting back on the competition floor and seeing where this journey takes her,” Carey wrote via email.

With the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 now less than a year away, what’s to come for the most decorated US gymnast in history?

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has said that he can no longer remain silent over homophobic abuse in football out of love and respect for his brother.

Writing in The Players’ Tribune, Ramsdale explained how he wanted football to be “a safe and welcoming place for everyone,” including his brother Oliver, who is gay.

“Over the years, I’ve probably bit my tongue a few too many times – both in dressing rooms and on social media – whenever I hear homophobic comments or stupid things being said,” Ramsdale wrote.

“And I think maybe my brother has done the same, thinking it would make my life easier.

“Well, all that ends today … I want my brother, Ollie – or anyone of any sexuality, race or religion – to come to games without having to fear abuse.”

According to a report of the 2022-23 season released by Kick It Out, the English football anti-discrimination group said it received 1,007 reports of discriminatory behaviour, a 65.1% rise on the previous season.

While racism was the most prevalent form of discrimination, Kick It Out said research undertaken by Signify, which investigates online threat and disinformation, had identified “peaks of homophobic and misogynistic abuse targeting several high-profile WSL [Women’s Super League] players,” even as the game’s authorities continue to promote a number of campaigns tackling homophobia and promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Ramsdale said that his brother, who is a performer on London’s West End, is “the real superstar of the family” and “the brave one.”

He added: “My brother is gay, and he’s lived his life in an open and authentic way since he went off to school. I’m so proud to say he’s my brother.

“I haven’t talked about it before, but with everything going on in football right now, I thought it was important to mention.

“Oliver is a lot like me, in many ways. He’s a regular bloke. Loves football. Loves knocking about with his mates. Loves the Gunners. He’s proud of me, and I’m really proud of him.”

In his wide-ranging Players’ Tribune letter, Ramsdale also wrote about his rise from the lower leagues of English football, the abuse he has received on the pitch and on social media, and his wife’s miscarriage while they returned from a holiday earlier this year.

“There’s really no way that I can describe the pain of that six-hour flight back to London, even now,” Ramsdale wrote.

“I just want people out there to know that they’re not alone if they’re going through it themselves. When we got back, I didn’t tell many people what happened. Only my family, my teammates, and of course [Arsenal manager] Mikel [Arteta].”

The 25-year-old Ramsdale, who joined Arsenal from Sheffield United two years ago, said that Arteta “forever has my respect for how he handled our grief.”

He also explained how, just days after the miscarriage, he was kicked in the back by a Tottenham fan after Arsenal’s 2-0 victory in the North London Derby.

According to ESPN, the fan was subsequently banned from attending football matches for four years, handed a 12-month community order, and made to pay Ramsdale £100 ($127).

“I remember when I got back to the dressing room, I couldn’t even celebrate because I got pulled out to give a police statement,” the goalkeeper said about the incident.

“You know, I almost felt bad for the bloke who had done it, because I thought to myself: If he only knew me as a person, and what I’m actually going through right now, there’s no way that he would’ve done that.

“If we bumped into each other one day and got chatting about football, we’d probably be mates.”

Ramsdale has made three appearances for England and was an integral part of Arsenal’s Premier League title pursuit last season, which saw the Gunners finish five points behind Manchester City.

The new Premier League season begins on August 11 with Arsenal opening its campaign against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium the following day.

Greece’s prime minister is offering a “do-over” for travelers whose trips to the holiday island of Rhodes were canceled or truncated due to the country’s wildfires this summer.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared on the UK chat show Good Morning Britain on August 2 to discuss the situation in Rhodes. Many of the affected travelers were from the UK.

“For all those whose holiday was cut short as a result of wildfires, the Greek government in cooperation with local authorities will offer one week of free holidays on Rhodes, next spring or next fall, so that we make sure they come back to the island,” he said.

Mitsotakis did not explain how the plan would work and no additional details were offered.

More than 19,000 tourists were evacuated from Rhodes during severe wildfires and heat waves in July.

The weather-related issues affected other regions in Greece as well. The island of Corfu also evacuated travelers, and one of the country’s most iconic attractions, the Acropolis, closed to visitors as temperatures in Athens soared to 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit).

The Greek Tourism Ministry, the country’s official tourism body, was similarly bullish in a press release this week.

“Rhodes is back!” the release read. “We are pleased to announce that the operational state of emergency has expired on the island of Rhodes. Life is now returning to normal for the entire island of Rhodes, including the few areas that were affected.”

Greece relies heavily on the tourism industry, with 18.5% of the national GDP coming from travel, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Russia said it shot down a Ukrainian missile over the southern Russian city of Taganrog and that fragments from the blast injured several civilians.

It’s believed to be the first time that Taganrog – some 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the border with Ukraine — has been hit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defense system converted into a strike version on the residential infrastructure of the city of Taganrog, Rostov Region,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

Regional Gov. Vasily Golubev also said on Friday in a Telegram post that there was a rocket explosion in the middle of the city.

“There are several victims, ambulances are handling the victims. Four people were slightly injured by broken glass. Information about the damage is being specified,” he said. There have been no deaths, he said.

The Russian Ministry of Health later said 14 people had been injured.

Russian air defense systems intercepted the missile, fragments of which fell on the city and damaged buildings, the defense ministry said.

Another missile was also downed Friday elsewhere in Rostov, the ministry added.

The defense ministry also claimed that Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Moscow region overnight Friday, but said that its air defenses thwarted the attack, which did not cause any damage or casualties.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow reserves the right to take “tough retaliatory measures” in response to the missile attacks against Taganrog and the attempted drone attack.

“We strongly condemn the criminal actions of the Kiev regime directed against the civilian population and peaceful infrastructure. They obviously had no military meaning. We call on the international community and organizations to condemn the use of terrorist methods by the Ukrainian authorities,” Zakharova said in a statement published on the Foreign Ministry website.

Another explosion was reported Friday much further east in Russia, after an explosive device detonated at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara on Friday, State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein said on his Telegram channel.

There were no victims or severe damage reported at the site, Khinshtein said.

“An explosion occurred on the territory of the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara today. According to the preliminary version, an explosive device was planted,” he said.

As tensions with North Korea spike, South Korea will hold its first nationwide civil defense drill in six years later this month, requiring most of the country’s 51 million residents to practice evacuating to shelters or underground safe spaces during the 20-minute exercise.

The drill, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23, will see many drivers required to pull over to the side of roads and the exits to subway stations closed with commuters required to remain inside, a statement from the South Korean Interior Ministry said.

“We expect to strengthen the response capacity of the nation through a practical drill reflecting the aspects of provocations of North Korea,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a news release this week.

The release said the 20-minute drill is part of a larger exercise to test the South Korean government’s response to potential threats including “advanced nuclear missile threats, cyber attacks, drone terrors, etc.”

The prime minister also called on South Koreans to take the drills seriously, something that hasn’t always been the case.

Many South Koreans have become resigned to the fact that much of the population would only have minutes to respond to any possible North Korean missile or airstrike.

The capital Seoul, for example, lies just 30 miles south of the demilitarized zone that separates the South from the North, which maintains a vast array of artillery along its border.

But Han said citizens should “follow the lead of the nation during the exercise and actively participate in it.”

Instructions from the Interior Ministry said 17,000 shelters would be open nationwide, and locations are searchable in popular Korean apps.

To minimize disruption to key services, the ministry said hospitals, airlines, railways, subways and commercial sea traffic would not be affected by the emergency drill.

It also said 13 areas of the country designated as a disaster zone following recent heavy rainfall would be excluded from the drill.

South Koreans have long become used to periods of fractious relations with the North, but the current level of tensions are especially high.

North Korea last month launched an intercontinental ballistic missile with its longest flight time ever, the latest advancement in a missile program that has been testing at a breakneck pace over the past two years under leader Kim Jong Un.

The launch of the Hwasong-18 missile was conducted “at a grave period when the military security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region has reached the phase of nuclear crisis beyond the Cold War,” a statement in North Korean state media said.

Later in July, a US Navy nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine called in the South Korean port of Busan, prompting more threats from Pyongyang, with North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam saying the presence of the vessel may meet the country’s criteria for use of nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang tested short-range ballistic missiles after the US sub made its call in Busan.

Han, the South Korean prime minister, said the civil defense drill would be held in conjunction with large-scale US-South Korea military exercises that have drawn sharp criticism from Pyongyang in the past.

It will also come less than a week after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol travels to the United States for a trilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where “the continued threat posed by” North Korea will be on the agenda, according to a White House statement.

Lindsey Horan has rejected criticism of how the US women’s soccer team has been performing at the Women’s World Cup, labeling it as “noise.”

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) drew 0-0 with Portugal on Tuesday, a result that confirmed the four-time world champion as runner-up in Group E, but not before the Americans came painfully close to exiting the tournament when Portugal substitute Ana Capeta hit the post in the dying moments of the game.

“It’s noise. Sometimes, you know, you hear it, you see it, and sometimes it’s hard to get away from it,” USWNT co-captain Horan told a media conference on Thursday in response to a question about criticism from pundits and fans.

One of those pundits was two-time World Cup winner and former USWNT player Carli Lloyd who quipped on the FOX broadcast that “the player of the match was that post” – a reference to Portugal coming close to a famous win late on – adding that her former teammates are “lucky to not be going home right now.”

“You guys are all watching us. Everyone in the world gets to have their opinion. And it’s the World Cup, you know, it’s the biggest stage,” added Horan as she looked ahead to the team’s last-16 knockout match against Sweden on Sunday.

“We’re playing for these big matches. We’re playing for these big moments, these pressure cookers. And that’s what we want to be a part of. And being the US national team, we’re always going to have that. You guys always want to talk about us and we’re going to take that pressure,” she added.

“We’re going to go with it, but we’re going to focus on ourselves and look at everything internally and try to keep the noise out as much as possible.”

Forward Lynn Williams added: “We are not panicking. We have made it to the round of 16. I think that we haven’t played our best soccer yet, which is the most exciting part for us. We are a team that are going to battle.”

After Tuesday’s game, US coach Vlatko Andonovski said it was “insane” for anyone to question the team’s commitment.

“Everyone is entitled to opinion and, you know, they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels,” he added, though he did acknowledge that the team underperformed against Portugal.

“It’s not like we played well by any means, but we owned it,” said Andonovski. “We know that it’s not good enough. … We’re not happy with our performance, but we qualify for the next round. We’re moving on.”

Ahead of Sunday’s knockout match with Sweden, midfielder Horan said that while she expected the game to be “difficult,” the team knows what to do and can “expose” the world No. 3 to win the game.

This will be the seventh World Cup meeting between the two teams and the first in the knockout stages, according to FIFA.

The US has won four of the previous six World Cup meetings, according to the world soccer governing body, but Sweden won the last meeting between the two teams in July 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics – a 3-0 win in the group stage.

Sweden also drew with the US in 2015 and beat them in 2011 – the last time any team defeated the US Women’s National Team inside regulation at a World Cup. The US defeated the Scandinavian side in the group stage in 2019.

While the US team has endured an underwhelming group stage at the Women’s World Cup, one positive for the defending champion has been defender Naomi Girma’s form.

The 23-year-old has played every minute of the campaign so far and has been pivotal to the team conceding just one goal in three matches, earning the US Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) Woman of the Match award in the draw against Portugal on Tuesday, which confirmed the US side’s place in the knockout stage.

Despite only turning 23 in June, Girma’s list of accolades is already impressive, having picked up the 2022 NWSL rookie of the year prize as well as NWSL defender of the uyear for her exploits with the San Diego Wave.

Representation

Girma juggled her soccer career while also studying at Stanford, where she majored in management science and engineering. She was also a three-time team captain (2019-21) for Stanford’s soccer team.

“I can remember watching Simone Manuel, Simone Biles, Serena Williams just dominate their sports, and being Black women in sports that typically didn’t see a lot of women of color competing was always super inspirational to me,” the San Jose native said.

“I feel very grateful to be in the position where young girls can look up to me and feel represented, feel like they can see themselves in this space where maybe they couldn’t see themselves before.”

There are a record seven Black women and two Mexican Americans on the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup player roster, and Girma says this demonstrates the hard work that has gone into making soccer more accepted.

“I think now having this team be so diverse playing at in the biggest stage in the world is a huge statement, and I think it just kind of shows the progress that’s been made – and also the progress that needs to be made,” said the 23-year-old star.

Journey to Stardom

The daughter of Girma Aweke and Seble Demissie – who emigrated to the US from Ethiopia in their teens – Girma’s first team was Maleda Soccer Club, which was founded by her father to help bring together locals from the East African nation.

“It was a way for a lot of my parents’ generation and also me and my brother’s generation, who were all first-generation Americans, to get together and have a community,” Girma said.

“There was no type of, like, advancement within the club. It was just like, show up every day, have fun, play soccer and get better.”

If playing for the Maleda Soccer club was all about having fun, Girma says that community support has been key to development as as soccer player.

“My support system has been everything to get me here,” she said. “I don’t think I’d be here without the community around me that I had growing up.

“Both of my parents worked full time jobs. So, it was really hard to get me to training and I had neighbors and teammates who went to different schools come pick me up from my school, take us to practice.

“So I think just other people lending out a hand and wanting to help me was huge.”

Tournament Dreams

June’s news of captain Becky Sauerbrunn’s absence from the World Cup due to a foot injury, combined with the long-term injury issues of Abby Dahlkemper, propelled Girma to the forefront of the defensive conversation at this tournament.

“A lot has happened in the past year,” she said. “I was very excited, a little bit of just like, disbelief and so happy to get the call. It doesn’t feel super sudden to me.

“Just playing for the US is a huge honor and getting to compete together with this incredible group of women,” she said. “At the end to bring home the trophy would be the best feeling ever.”

Two-time world champion Germany crashed out of this year’s Women’s World Cup after drawing 1-1 to South Korea on Thursday.

The Germans were among the favorites to win the title before the tournament got underway and knew victory in its final Group H match would all but secure qualification for the knockout stage.

Expectations of a routine win for Germany, however, quickly evaporated as Cho So-hyun gave South Korea a surprise early lead.

Germany’s star forward Alexandra Popp equalized moments before half-time, but her team failed to score the all important winner against South Korea, thereby finishing third in the group.

Pain for Germany meant joy for Morocco, which in its first World Cup appearance, reached the knockout stage with a surprise 1-0 win against Colombia.

It’s the first time that Germany, ranked second in the world, has failed to reach at least the quarterfinal stage at the Women’s World Cup.

The players looked stunned at full-time with captain Popp, who was named Player of the Match, almost in tears.

Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf told a gaggle of reporters after the match that it was “one of the saddest moments of my life,” reflecting the mood of many in the squad.

Popp had come so close to finding a winning goal for her country, going close with two headers and seeing a goal ruled out for offside.

“We are very disappointed. It’s very, very hard for me to analyze this match,” the German striker told reporters after the game. “It’s hard to say [what was missing]. We needed one more goal, but we didn’t [find it].”

South Korea, which knew it needed a big win to stand any chance of progression, was well worthy of the draw after working tirelessly to keep its opponent out.

Noisy South Korean fans in the 38,945 crowd willed their side to step up to meet the challenge despite being bottom of group at the start of Thursday, with rows of fans dressed in red waving inflatable batons and chanting in time with a drum.

Meanwhile German fans looked crushed at the final whistle, and the flags they’d been waving every time their team seemed close to pulling ahead in the second half were tightly wound as they made their way home.

Some of the German players were red-eyed in the mixed zone, seemingly unable to explain why they had exited the tournament – not least because they had so many many attempts at goal.

Three countries ranked inside the top 10 have now been eliminated before the knockout stages as Germany makes an early departure alongside Canada and Brazil.

Morocco joy

While Germany struggled in Brisbane, it was a very different story in Perth where Morocco staged a stunning result.

The African side is making its tournament debut and was thrashed 6-0 by Germany in its first game before securing its first ever World Cup win against South Korea.

The Atlas Lionesses knew they needed to better Germany’s result on Thursday to qualify out of the group and applied the pressure when Anissa Lahmari gave her side the lead just before the break.

The goal came after Ghizlane Chebbak saw her penalty saved by Colombia’s keeper, only for the ball to rebound out and be bundled over the line by Lahmari.

Morocco then defended for its life, praying Germany wouldn’t find a winner against South Korea.

Celebrations at the full-time whistle were temporarily put on hold as the Moroccan squad huddled around mobile phones, waiting for news from the Germany game.

Once news filtered through about the Germans’ draw, the celebrations started again with players crying with joy on the pitch.

Morocco’s qualification means it’s the first time that three African nations have reached the last 16 of a Women’s World Cup in the competition’s history, a remarkable achievement for the continent in soccer’s biggest tournament.