Ireland will be thanking their lucky stars that Denise O'Sullivan's World Cup does not appear to be in danger, after she required scans on her shin in light of a behind-closed-doors friendly against Colombia.
The game in Brisbane on Friday was abandoned after only 20 minutes, after the game became overly physical. A late challenge on O'Sullivan which resulted in the Irish star sustaining a shin injury was the final straw in calling off the game.
An FAI statement on the incident said that the game had been cancelled after consultation with the referee and his team of match officials.
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Further controversy stemmed from the allegations that Irish media were barred from entering the grounds of the stadium, despite previous arrangements having been made to accommodate them.
For this reason, little was known about the nature of the tackle which saw Denise O'Sullivan injured - that was until Sunday morning, when footage emerged from the Colombian media.
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Denise O'Sullivan: Footage emerges of tackle which halted Colombia friendly
The video shows Ireland winning back possession in their own half, and the ball falling to Denise O'Sullivan, who tries to recycle possession quickly.
She is met with a strong downward tackle on her shin, before falling to the ground amid protestations from her teammates.
Footage has surfaced via Colombian media of the challenge that has left Denise O'Sullivan as a doubt for Thursday's World Cup game against Australia.
The match was abandoned shortly after.pic.twitter.com/BXrYWLYXZw— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) July 16, 2023
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Thankfully for O'Sullivan, what initially seemed like it could be a serious injury appears to have been brushed off. The North Carolina Courage star passed both X-ray and CT scans which showed no fracture, while manager Vera Pauw also confirmed the injury was not as bad as originally feared.
Positive news for Denise O'Sullivan 🙌
X-Ray and CT Scan show no fracture ✅
Denise will work with WNT Medical Staff on a return to play procedure.#COYGIG | #OUTBELIEVE pic.twitter.com/PoD9cQSupj— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) July 15, 2023
There was more drama after the abrupt conclusion of the game against Colombia, however, with the opposition's Daniela Caracas questioning Ireland's mentality and physicality, and saying, "let them eat shit."
In her press conference this weekend, Pauw was stunned to learn of those remarks, and explained that she had calmly approached the Colombian manager in an attempt to quell the roughness of tackling - only to be met with an unsympathetic answer.
Ireland will be crossing fingers that Denise O'Sullivan is fit to take the field in their opening game of the Women's World Cup on Thursday. They face hosts Australia in Sydney, with kick-off at 11am Irish time.
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