The Netherlands and Chelsea are awaiting news of the severity of the injury sustained by defender Aniek Nouwen last night.
The 23-year-old hurt her ankle in a challenge with Swedish forward Lina Hurtig as the two nations battled out an entertaining 1-1 draw in front of more than 20,000 fans at Bramall Lane in Sheffield. Nouwen was in some real pain following the clash.
The incident happened late in the first half and saw Nouwen replaced by FC Twente centre-back Marisa Olislagers. Dutch head coach Mark Parsons later said that the player was in tears and the severity of her injury is not yet known.
Nouwen’s injury will be of real concern to The Netherlands who also lost first choice goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal to an injury last night. The Dutch came into this summer’s tournament arguably not playing some of their best football and they will not want to lose two key players for the remainder of the tournament.
Nouwen’s club Chelsea will also be keeping a watchful eye for an update with the centre-back having impressed in her first year in England. The defender could be set for a greater role in Emma Hayes’ side in 2022/2023.
The Netherlands’ next match is against Portugal on Wednesday and at this stage, it seems likely that they could be down on squad numbers.
About The Author
