Injured Sam Kerr misses Australia’s Women’s World Cup opener and faces longer out

Captain Sam Kerr missed Australia’s opening Women’s World Cup game against Ireland on Thursday because of a calf injury that wasn’t revealed publicly until about an hour before kickoff.

Kerr will also miss the Matildas’ game against Nigeria in Brisbane next week. The striker will be assessed before the last Group B match against Canada.

Australia won 1-0 in Sydney thanks to a second-half penalty from Steph Catley, but Kerr’s absence was a massive setback for the tournament co-hosts.

Kerr is Australia’s leading scorer and has been the face of a heavy marketing campaign for the World Cup, which is also being co-hosted by New Zealand.

The star striker injured a calf muscle during practice on Wednesday but it wasn’t confirmed until Stadium Australia was almost full with expectant fans.

“I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve,” Kerr wrote in an Instagram post distributed by the team. “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.”

The team said Kerr’s condition would be assessed before the Matildas face Olympic champion Canada on July 31. With 63 goals in 120 internationals, Kerr had been one of the favorites to win the Golden Boot at this World Cup.

She is considered one of the finest goal-scorers in the world and is an iconic figure in Australia.

Kerr headed into the competition having helped Chelsea win the Women’s Super League in England and the FA Cup.

She spoke on Wednesday of performing her traditional back flip celebrations if she scored against Ireland.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.