Scariest moment of Matilda's victory over Denmark
Sam Kerr, the captain of the Matildas, finally made her long-awaited debut in this Women's World Cup during the recent match against Denmark, when she took to the field as a substitute at the 79-minute mark, contributing to Australia's 2-0 victory and securing a spot in the quarterfinals.
After weeks of speculation about her fitness, Kerr's left calf muscle has dominated conversations across the nation – making her presence on the pitch a relief to many who had been closely following her situation.
During her brief appearance on the field, and following her arrival that saw the 75,874-strong crowd on its feet, there were very positive signs of her competitive readiness – before a heart-stopping moment of tension arose when she slipped on the slick turf and experienced what appeared to be a groin issue.
Kerr addressed the incident in the post-match conference, saying: “I just slipped. I have terrible groins and just fell over like a normal thing. I think it’s just on a microscope because I’ve been injured the last three weeks. But it’s nothing.”
However, her unexpected fall could not help but catch the attention of coach Tony Gustavsson in that terrifying moment, who expressed his concern through wildly animated gestures as he attempted to determine what had gone wrong. However, he later confirmed that Kerr had assured him she was capable of continuing to play.
During the press conference, the Gustavsson coach was asked to share his emotions when Kerr encountered the mishap, while refraining from using strong language. In response, after a moment of laughter, he said, “I know I can tend to swear too much at times when I get passionate, but today I’ll try to stay away from that. I got very nervous. I didn’t see the slip until she was on the floor. But when I saw that obviously you go: ‘Oh!’
“And then straight away communicate with her: ‘How are you doing, you need to come off? You good?’
“She wanted to stay on so hopefully that means she’s OK.”
Kerr had been adhering to a rigorous training regimen since suffering the injury just two days before the tournament's commencement. After the match, she revealed that the physiotherapists were meticulous in overseeing her recovery, even prohibiting her from participating in warm-down runs with her teammates.
Reports also suggest that the training staff advised Kerr against engaging in running and jumping during the post-game celebrations with her team.
When asked about Australia's upcoming match as the tournament deepens, she responded, “I don’t even know when it is. I have a plan, the physios have a plan – I asked them if I could run after (the match) and they said no!
“So I’m sure I’ll be following their plan like I have the past few weeks.”
Images: Getty / Channel 7