Morocco’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Women’s U17 World Cup remain intact despite a 4-2 defeat by Germany in Sale.

The hosts had begun the tournament with an emphatic 4-0 victory over New Zealand, but were beaten in their second Group A match on Tuesday 20 October at the Complexe Mohammed VI de football.

Germany established control before the interval, with Marie Kleemann breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute. Lena-Joy Martens then extended the visitors’ advantage seven minutes later.

Morocco’s position became even more difficult in first-half stoppage time when Clara Choisy scored Germany’s third goal.

The European side added a fourth five minutes after the restart, Mia Giesen converting from the penalty spot in the 50th minute.

Morocco, coached by Youness Rabie, responded strongly rather than allowing the deficit to end their challenge. Nessma Mouradi, who had also scored against New Zealand, pulled one goal back in the 64th minute.

She completed her brace by converting a penalty in the fifth minute of added time, but her late effort could not prevent Morocco from suffering their first defeat of the competition.

The second-half response at least gave the hosts a more positive finish to a match in which Germany had been dominant for long periods.

Germany’s victory follows their opening-day success against Argentina and confirms their strong start to the tournament. Morocco remain on three points after two matches, while their goal difference is still positive because of their opening win over New Zealand.

Qualification for the next phase is therefore still possible before the final round of group fixtures. Morocco must now recover quickly and seek a result against Argentina in their third match.

Alternatively, they could qualify by finishing among the best third-placed teams, as they did last year.