Morocco’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Women’s Under-17 World Cup are now out of their hands after a 5-1 defeat by Argentina in their final Group A match.

The Lioncelles de l’Atlas needed only a draw on Friday to secure direct qualification for the last 16 on home soil, having followed their opening 4-0 victory over New Zealand on 17 October with a 4-2 loss to Germany on Tuesday.

Instead, they were heavily beaten by Argentina, who are newcomers to the competition, on the fourth pitch at the Complexe Mohammed VI de football in Rabat.

Youness Rabie’s side were punished for another poor start, just as they had been against Germany. Morocco fell 4-0 behind before half-time after conceding in the 14th, 29th, 35th and 45th+2 minutes.

PSG forward Nessma Mouradi, 17, pulled one back in the 58th minute. She had also scored Morocco’s only goal against Germany, but her effort did not spark a comeback.

Argentina added a fifth goal in the 73rd minute to complete a convincing victory and move above Morocco in the group standings.

Germany finished top with a perfect nine points from nine after beating New Zealand 2-0. Argentina’s win lifted them into second place, while Morocco dropped to third.

Morocco must now wait for the remaining Group C, D, E and F matches to determine whether they will qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams.

The selection faced the same route at the previous edition, when they also had to rely on their position among the best third-placed sides to reach the knockout phase. This time, their progress will depend on results elsewhere after they failed to secure a last-16 place directly.