France 2019: Netherlands sweat on star player ahead Italy clash

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.

The injury developed after teammate Jill Roord jumped on her foot when they were celebrating.

The 26-year-old Martens had a largely quiet tournament before bursting into the limelight on Tuesday.

She scored both goals, the second from the penalty spot as the Dutch edged the 2011 World Cup winners 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. (Reuters/NAN)