Celebrations gone wrong put Dutch star Martens at risk

Lieke Martens, who was named player of the year by FIFA in 2017 when the Dutch won the European Championship, sat out training on Friday for a second successive day with a painful foot after teammate Jill Roord jumped on it when they were celebrating.

Published : Jun 28, 2019 18:43 IST

Netherlands' Lieke Martens scores the winning goal from the penalty spot against Japan at Roazhon Park on Tuesday in Rennes, France.

Netherlands striker Lieke Martens was hurt while celebrating her late winning goal against Japan in the women's World Cup last 16 putting her at risk of missing the quarter-final against Italy on Saturday.

Martens, who was named player of the year by FIFA in 2017 when the Dutch won the European Championship, sat out training on Friday for a second successive day with a painful foot after team mate Jill Roord jumped on it when they were celebrating.

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The 26-year-old Martens had a largely quiet tournament before bursting into the limelight on Tuesday with both goals, the second from the penalty spot, as the Dutch edged the 2011 World Cup winner 2-1 at Rennes.

But her chances of playing against Italy looked bleak after she was unable to train again on Friday, just hours after telling reporters she was confident of playing.