After beating Colombia,world No.72 Morocco faced a nervous few minutes waiting for the final result of the Germany-South Korea game,which was locked at 1-1 deep into added time.
A German win would have demoted Morocco to third in Group H,but South Korea held on to spark wild celebrations among the North African players who had assembled in a circle.
“When we had won the match,the most stressful thing was the other match,” Morocco coach Reynald Pedros said.
“We waited,and then the good news arrived. It was incredible.”
Lahmari added:“At the end of our game,we had the phone and we were praying,waiting for the result to come out of the Germany and Korea game.
“It was a draw and afterwards it was a complete explosion of joy.”
Morocco had already made history by becoming the first Arab and north African nation to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.