Alexandra Popp scored twice as Germany thrashed Morocco 6-0 to launch their Women’s World Cup title bid in style Monday, while Italy triumphed in a feisty encounter with Argentina thanks to an 87th-minute winner.

The lower-ranked teams at the first 32-team Women’s World Cup have generally held their own so far, indicating a closing of the gap in women’s international football. But two-time champions Germany blew away Morocco—the first Arab team at a Women’s World Cup—in Melbourne to record the biggest win of the tournament so far.