Ireland mainstay Denise O’Sullivan’s injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, although she remains a doubt for the WNT’s opening World Cup match vs Australia. Scans showed the Cork woman suffered no bone fracture or break, but did indeed garner significant bruising to her shin.
The North Carolina Courage captain was injured during a warm up game versus Colombia yesterday afternoon Irish time, with the fixture concluding after just 20 minutes following the horrific tackle to O’Sullivan which marked the crescendo to an ‘overly physical’ encounter.
She was rushed to St Andrew's Hospital hospital in Brisbane but walked out on crutches and a protective boot, as per protocol, and is now working with medical staff on her return to play procedure.
This comes as Ireland are set to kick off the entire tournament against hosts Australia in just five days time.
Ireland manager Vera Pauw briefed the media to provide an update on O’Sullivan, as well to breakdown what exactly happened during the abandoned friendly yesterday.
“We have now hope (for the Australia game) because it is soft tissue and not a bone. We have good hopes. We have hopes she makes it,” said the Ireland boss.
She said she remains hopeful that O'Sullivan can play some part in Thursday's World Cup opener.
“There is of course a bone bruise. But also soft tissue. The next 48 hours are very important, how it settles down, and then we have more of an idea if she can make it. We have hopes.
Colombian reaction to O’Sullivan’s injury
After the fixture Columbia’s federation released a statement citing that “although all the processes and training of our teams are framed within the rules of the game, healthy competition and fairplay, among others, we respect the decision of our rival team” in the cancelation of the match.
However, player Daniela Caracas added fuel to the fire of Irish fans' apprehension yesterday when she was videoed chatting to supporters about the match, undeniably frustrated with how things had played out against the Girls In Green.
“Let them eat shit” she said.
Daniela Caracas adds insult to Denise O’Sullivan injury:
“They are just girls, one little foul and they started complaining, they were having a chat amongst themselves to continue or not so we weren’t going to hang around waiting for them.” https://t.co/6QdRDpDiZe— Gavin Cummiskey (@Cumoski) July 14, 2023
When informed of this comment by Irish reporters this morning, Pauw was surprised.
“I’m sorry? Did they? To be honest, I’m a bit shocked hearing this.
“Well, let’s say that they maybe were emotional too.”
Pauw also provided reporters with an explanation as to how the match was abandoned. Ruesha Littlejohn was also on the receiving end of a heavy challenge. Pauw said she approached the Colombia bench to calm things down but didn't receive a sympathetic ear.
“I went calmly to the bench of the opponent, it was just in front of them, and I asked the coach, ‘I need your help, we all want to go to the World Cup, how do we calm this down?’.
“And he only said, one sentence, something like, ‘It’s both sides’. But we did not make any fouls. He went back and did not take responsibility.
Minutes later, Ireland stopped the game.
Meanwhile Ireland's opponents on Thursday, The Matildas, beat France 1-0 in front of a record breaking crowd, with Mary Fowler's strike proving decisive on the night.
Ireland also faced Les Bleus in recent weeks, losing 3-0 at home in Tallaght Stadium during their send off game.
A history-making night in Melbourne saw a crowd of 50,629 pack out Marvel Stadium, as Mary Fowler's goal sealed a 1-0 victory over France.
Watch all the highlights and read the match report now! ⬇️#Matildas #AUSvFRA— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) July 14, 2023
