FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand - UEFA Qualifiers - Group A - Slovakia v Republic of Ireland - Narodne treningove centrum SFZ, Senec, Slovakia - September 6, 2022 Republic of Ireland's Denise O'Sullivan scores their first goal REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa/File Photo
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Women's World Cup co-hosts Australia have expressed sympathy for Ireland's Denise O'Sullivan after the midfielder suffered a shin injury in an abandoned friendly against Colombia.
O'Sullivan faces a race to be fit for her side's World Cup opener against Australia in Sydney on Thursday after a tackle in a behind-closed-doors warmup last Friday left her needing hospital treatment.
Ireland coach Vera Pauw decided to stop the game after the tackle because of what she deemed to be reckless play by the Colombians.
"I hope she's OK because obviously you don't want to see any players injured at the moment, especially right before the start of the World Cup," Australia defender Alanna Kennedy said on Monday of O'Sullivan.
"Obviously she's a big player for them.
"But for us, I guess whether she plays or whether someone else replaces her in there, it doesn't change anything for us and our game plan will stay the same."
Defender Clare Hunt said it was "terrible" the Ireland-Colombia warmup had to be abandoned. However, she said Ireland were also renowned for their physicality and Australia were preparing for it.
"But in terms of the Irish physicality, they've always had it and they always will and I think that we are preparing in that same way and we know that that is a strength of theirs and we're just working to nullify that in any way that we can," she said.
"We're obviously also a very transitional and physical team, so I think it will be a good battle."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
