Debutants Morocco have suffered the heaviest defeat of the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after the Atlas Lionesses were hammered 6-0 by DFB-Frauen of Germany on Monday morning.

Germany baptised the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finalists with unwanted goals from the opening minutes of the Group H opener to the closing minutes. Morocco went behind in the 11th when Alexandra Popp put the Germans upfront.

Another goal from the forward in the 39th minute gave the two-time champions a comfortable 2-0 halftime lead. Two goals in the opening nine minutes of the second half by Klara Bühl and Hanane Ait El Haj (own goal) ended the Germans’ lead.

In the 79th minute, Germany recorded their fifth goal of the match after Morocco conceded another own goal, with Yasmin Katie Mrabet being the culprit before Lea Schüller sealed the victory for the Germans with her 90th-minute strike.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons is the only African team to avoid a defeat in the opening group games of the World Cup following a goalless draw against Canada. Meanwhile, unlucky Bayana Bayana of South Africa threw away a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 to Sweden.

However, it is already a World Cup debut to forget for the two African debutants Zambia’s Copper Queens, who lost 5-0 to Japan and now Morocco with the heaviest loss of the four-day-old competition in Australia and New Zealand.