England beat Denmark but lose ‘indispensable’ Walsh (1:36)Tom Hamilton reports from Sydney where Lauren James’ first-half wonder strike vs. Denmark gave England their second win at the World Cup. (1:36)
SYDNEY — Of all the players England could not afford to lose for this Women’s World Cup, midfielder Keira Walsh is top of the list. The 26-year-old is the beating heart of this team, a world-class operator and indispensable to their transitional game. She’s irreplaceable. So the sight of her covering her face as she was stretchered off with what looked to be a nasty knee injury against Denmark took any gloss off another 1-0 win that has England on the verge of the knockout stages of the World Cup.
It’s no coincidence that Walsh’s injury in the 35th minute kerbed England’s dominance. From a mental point of view, it must be brutal for her teammates to see one of their own in that much pain. From a functional, tactical perspective it completely threw the team.