A serious knee injury from Eli Carpenter did not stop Matildas from celebrating his second Champions League title.
The 22-year-old ACL broke out suspiciously in less than 15 minutes of the first half of Lyon’s (Olympic Lyonnais) two-goal victory over Barcelona on Sunday morning.
Carpenter injured his knee in an early challenge against Barারa’s Fridolina Ralfo but was able to play. However, the defender’s knee goes off later when he runs over the ball, forcing him to be carried off the field on a stretcher.
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Despite the disappointing events, Carpenter saw his teammates beat Barcelona 3-1, even taking part in the post-match celebrations with a brace on his leg and a pair of crutches in his hand.
Speaking after the win, Lyon coach Sonia Bompster shared a glam prediction of Carpenter’s injury.
“I’m not too optimistic. I think it’s a serious injury. We’ll send him to Lyon for tests and tests. I don’t think it looks good,” he said.
The extent of the injury is not known even after the scan, it is almost certain that Carpenter will miss the upcoming Matildas match against Spain and Portugal at the end of June.
Injured Matlidas is a big push for his FIFA World Cup campaign with a home competition just 14 months away.
Carpenter has now won his first UEFA Champions League crown in 2020 with an eight-time winning French team.
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