Martens will not train to spare sore foot ahead of semi-final

LYON, France (Reuters) - Netherlands striker Lieke Martens is not likely to do much training ahead of Wednesday’s women’s World Cup semi-final against Sweden as she protects a foot injury.

Martens will not train to spare sore foot ahead of semi-final

(Reuters)

The problem should not stop her from playing as the Dutch seek to reach a first-ever final, however.

Martens was hurt celebrating her winning goal in the second round against Japan last Tuesday and did not train ahead of the quarter-final against Italy in Valenciennes on Saturday.

Despite that, she managed to play a full match as the Dutch beat the Italians 2-0 to advance to the last four.

“When you are fuelled by adrenaline you can do a lot,” Martens said of playing through pain after team mate Jill Roord jumped on her when they were celebrating success over the Japanese in the second round.

“As we head towards Wednesday, it’s going to be very much the same as it was before the Italy game for me,” the 26-year-old told reporters.

After the game against Japan, the pain was so bad that she could hardly walk and her participation in Saturday’s quarter-final was doubtful right to the last minute.

“It was a rollercoaster -- maybe, no, maybe, yes -- but I always believed I would play. I know what my body can do.

“We have great medical staff who did everything they could and I managed to play a full 90 minutes.

“The pain is still there and I have had another reaction but if I was able to play on Saturday, I can play again on Wednesday,” added the player named best women’s footballer by FIFA two years ago when the Dutch won the European Championship.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Clare Fallon)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Martens will not train to spare sore foot ahead of semi-final | SBS News