Kerr suffers nasty injury as Matildas lose to Germany
Sam Kerr overcame a bruising ankle injury to find the back of the net, but her goal wasn’t enough to stop world No.3 Germany from claiming a 4-2 victory on home soil over the Matildas on Saturday.
The Australian captain went down hard during the friendly, copping a foot to her right ankle from an opponent in a challenge and grimacing on the pitch with her head in her hands.
Sam Kerr was injured on the field. Getty Images for Football Australia
Despite walking off in clear discomfort and returning with a noticeable limp, Kerr still managed to breathe life into an Australian side staring down an early 2-0 deficit.
Connecting with Ellie Carpenter on the eve of half-time, Kerr buried a sharp header to put the Matildas on the board.
However, the momentum failed to swing fully in Australia’s favour as Germany found a crucial third goal late in the match.
The Matildas’ rising stars fought to keep the game alive, including young gun Holly McNamara who was instrumental in the dying stages. She brushed off a blow to the mouth from Germany’s goalkeeper that had her bleeding to score Australia’s second.
Running through the centre of the pitch, McNamara latched onto the ball and fired it past the keeper to narrow the margin to 3-2 in the 90th minute.
But Germany immediately hit back with a fourth goal to seal the 4-2 win, finishing off a dominant showing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Karlsruhe.
The lacklustre performance left team veterans like Kerr and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold visibly frustrated at times.
But the energetic impact of McNamara, Hayley Raso and Kaitlyn Torpey, alongside a debut appearance from Tori Tumeth, offered a glimpse into the team’s future.
The match serves as a block toward the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, raising crucial questions about how coach Joe Montemurro will call upon this new generation of Matildas to lead the squad.
The Matildas will next play Haiti on Wednesday at 6am AEDT.
