France midfielder Selma Bacha ended her round of 16 tie against Morocco (4-0) with a right ankle injury and an ice pack on Tuesday, but optimism prevails about her participation in the quarter of the World Cup against Australia on Saturday. “It turned out, yes. We will see the state of my ankle tomorrow, ”said the Lyonnaise just after the meeting.
Bacha was hit at the very end of the match in the right ankle and even sat down on the lawn after the final whistle, asking for treatment. She arrived in the mixed zone with an ice pack on her joint and seriously limping, noted an AFP journalist.
The left-hander has already suffered a sprained other ankle on July 14 at the end of preparation against Australia (1-0 defeat), which had caused her to miss the first match of the World Cup against Jamaica (0 -0). “She has painful ankles,” joked coach Hervé Renard. “She took a hit but I think it will be fine. She grits her teeth, she hangs on, I’m sure she’ll be there” for the next game.
Les Bleues face Australia on Saturday in Brisbane (9:00 a.m.) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Will Bacha be available? “Yes, count on me!” replied the player with a big smile. As for defender Maëlle Lakrar, hit in the thigh and preserved on Tuesday, “we will need her,” said Renard. “There was no point in taking risks” by having her play on Tuesday, added the coach. “We are impatiently awaiting his return.”
