Two days after Leah Williamson was ruled out of the 2023 Women’s World Cup with an ACL tear, England dealt with another injury scare on Saturday when Lucy Bronze went down in the 65th minute of Barcelona’s Champions League semifinal versus Chelsea.
Bronze clutched her knee and then hopped off the field, a concerning sight. But she returned to the pitch at the conclusion of the game, which Barcelona won 1-0, to shake hands with Chelsea players.
🚨LUCY BRONZE marxa coixa. No pot recolzar la cama dreta. Pinta molt malament. pic.twitter.com/JvyhTuSID1— Oriol Alsina AnguĂs (@oriolalsinaaa) April 22, 2023
🚨LUCY BRONZE marxa coixa. No pot recolzar la cama dreta. Pinta molt malament. pic.twitter.com/JvyhTuSID1
In his post-match comments, Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez said Bronze was “feeling much better.”
“Initially Lucy was a bit worried about her injury, she felt her pain in her knee, but now she’s feeling much better about it,” Giraldez said, per SkySports.
“She felt pain in the knee but I think she’s fine right now. I was talking to her immediately after the game. It was scary at first but right now I think she’s fine.”
Bronze, 31, has a long history of knee injuries and subsequent surgeries, resulting in lingering pain.
“I’ve just got to play through it,” Bronze said last year. “There are plenty of players who are having to play through pain in their career and I’m now one of them.”
England has seen multiple players go down with injury in the last year, dampening the squad’s World Cup prospects. Beth Mead’s World Cup chances are doubtful after the 27-year-old ruptured her ACL in November, while Millie Bright’s status is also up-in-the-air.