Australia: Australia’s captain and forward Ms. Sam Kerr will miss two matches of the Women’s World Cup, including the opening game against Ireland, due to a calf injury.
Ms. Kerr’s loss is considered a big blow for Mr. Tony Gustavsson’s 10th-ranked Australia women’s national football team, who are one of the favourites to win their home tournament. The 29-year-old Chelsea forward is the all-time leading goalscorer for her country with 63 goals.
“I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve. Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight, but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey, which starts now,” Ms. Kerr posted on Instagram.
According to reports, the Australian striker would be reassessed by the medical team after the country’s second group stage match on July 27 against Nigeria.
Australia starts the tournament with great confidence, having won nine of their previous 10 games. The team recently defeated France 1-0 and ended England’s 30-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory in April.
There was some injury speculation around Ms. Kerr after the France game when she was spotted with an ice pack on her hamstring after she was taken off in the 62nd minute.
This is the fourth World Cup for Ms. Kerr, who recently commented that “to be at home and get the feel for it, walk down the streets and see people that are excited or flying around the country to watch us, it’s nice to be able to feel the love.”
“But also, we are really proud to bring this World Cup home and let Australia experience what we do all around the world,” the Chelsea striker added.
Ms. Kerr is considered one of the finest goal scorers in the world and is an iconic figure in Australia.
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