Switzerland head coach Nils Nielsen has revealed that captain Lia Wålti has been playing with a foot injury throughout her nation’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 campaign.
The Arsenal midfielder has featured in all three of Switzerland’s group matches, completing her side’s fixture against Sweden and starting the games against Portugal and The Netherlands before being substituted prior to the end.
When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time about Wålti’s performances at the tournament, Nielsen hailed the player’s leadership whilst commenting that she has been playing through the pain barrier.
“She is a fantastic captain,” Nielsen said. “She’s very supportive of all of the other girls and she is leading the team brilliantly.
“Unfortunately, she has had a problem with her foot so she couldn’t be 100% for this tournament but I say it time and time again, she’s a top player.”
Switzerland’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 dream is over after they were defeated 4-1 by The Netherlands at Bramall Lane this evening. The two sides were level for most of the match but Coumba Sow missed two chances in quick succession for Switzerland before The Netherlands ran away with the game late on.
Reflecting on the game, Nielsen said “We had a huge chance so we were close and we were much closer than the scoreline suggests.
“For a long time, it was an even game but when we opened up and tried to go for it, it was completely open and they had chances from every attack.”
Switzerland have now been eliminated at the group stage in both of their UEFA Women’s EURO final appearances to date.
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