• 30-year-old Al-Ahli player nets only goal in Moroccan women’s 1-0 defeat of South Korea

Paul Williams

ADELAIDE: Moroccan footballer Ibtissam Jraidi’s name will forever be etched into the record books after the 30-year-old became the first Arab woman to score at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Al-Ahli forward helped the Lionesses of Atlas to a 1-0 win over South Korea to keep their World Cup hopes alive heading into the final match against Colombia.

After the ignominy of their 6-0 loss to Germany in their opening encounter, Morocco arrived in Adelaide on Sunday keen to avoid a similar fate against a side ranked 55 places higher in the official FIFA rankings.

Morocco had the majority of the support among the 12,886 fans inside the intimate confines of Hindmarsh Stadium — the smallest ground in use at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

As the sun momentarily shone on Hindmarsh Stadium on a crisp, and occasionally wet, winter’s day in the South Australian capital, Jraidi got low down to glance on an inch-perfect cross from Hanane Ait El-Haj past the outstretched arms of Korean stopper Kim Jung-mi to give her side a sixth-minute lead against their more fancied opponents.

The ecstasy was etched on the faces of everyone involved in the Moroccan team as the entire bench of substitutes emptied onto the field of play and ran over to mob Jraidi in a moment of sheer joy.

And it was a lead they would not surrender, holding on to record their first ever victory at the Women’s World Cup, sparking wild celebrations both on the pitch and in the stands.

Even the small collection of Moroccan media got in on the act, celebrating with the players with hugs, high-fives, and selfies in the post-match mixed zone.

Jraidi said: “We are just so pleased our efforts have paid off. This victory is for Morocco and Arabs, it’s the fruit of our hard work.”

In a match that also saw Nouhaila Benzina make her first appearance of the tournament to become the first hijabi player to appear at the Women’s World Cup, it was 90 minutes that carried plenty of significance for the future of women’s football.

In scoring what was to be the only goal of the game, Jraidi created a further slice of history by becoming the first player from a Saudi Women’s Premier League team to score in the cup competition.

While Saudi Arabia’s national team remains some way off being able to compete at the Women’s World Cup, Jraidi’s exploits in Adelaide highlighted the way forward.

She joined Jeddah-based Al-Ahli for the debut season of the SWPL after more than a decade playing domestically in Morocco with perennial champions ASFAR, who have won the past eight Moroccan league titles.

She was a standout for ASFAR on their run to claiming the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, including a hattrick in the final against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa.

Unsurprisingly, she flourished with Al-Ahli. Despite arriving on a two-year deal only midway through the 14-game season, she ended the season with 17 goals to finish second in the Golden Boot standings behind Shokhan Salihi.

Jraidi started with six goals in a 9-1 win over relegated Sama in December, before finishing the season with a run of 11 goals in four matches, a streak that included three hattricks.

Now as a Women’s World Cup goal scorer, she will be one of the poster signings of the SWPL as it looks to establish a stronger foothold within the country and throughout the region over the coming years.