Stand-in captain Steph Catley insists the Matildas can stand up in an injury crisis and beat Nigeria to seal progression to the Women’s World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare.
Mary Fowler and Aivi Luik joined superstar captain Sam Kerr and veteran striker Kyah Simon on the sidelines when they were concussed in separate incidents at Tuesday’s closed training session.
Australia (three points) can book their ticket to the round of 16 with victory over Nigeria (one point) at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.
Olympic champions Canada (four points) soared to the top of Group B with a 2-1 win over Ireland (zero points) in Perth on Wednesday night.
“It’s football and it happens to every single footballer on the entire planet,” Catley said about the injury crisis.
“We’re not the first team that’s had injuries in major tournaments and we won’t be the last.
“So it’s just how we gather, it’s how the rest of the squad bounces back and performs in a high-pressure situation in the biggest games and I think that’s something over the last few years we’ve really developed.
“We’ve got a squad that is capable of winning games at any given point, no matter who’s in what position.
“I back every single player that’s out there no matter what and hopefully the girls get healthy and ready to get back into the squad very quickly.” she said
