Right around the hour mark of England’s UEFA Euro 2017 match against France, Three Lionesses goalkeeper Karen Bardsley suffered a leg injury, but she opted to play on. In the 75th minute, she realized she couldn’t continue and was substituted, but she kept one of the world’s best teams off the scoreboard while she was playing injured.
England women’s national team goalkeeper Karen Bardsley played for 14 minutes with a broken leg
Before X-rays, England didn’t know she’d be out for the rest of the tournament.
Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images
And that injury? A broken leg. Bardsley played goalkeeper with a broken leg for 14 minutes without making a major error. When she left the game, she walked off under her own power, and it wasn’t obvious to anyone that she’d be out for the rest of the tournament.
England went on to win the game 1-0, defeating France in a competitive match for the first time in their history. Even though Bardsley didn’t finish the game, it really doesn’t get any tougher than playing on a broken leg for 14 minutes.
Bardsley clearly won’t be able to play again in the tournament, and will be replaced by Siobhan Chamberlain. She’s about as good as any team could hope for in a backup keeper — Chamberlain kept a clean sheet against the United States in March and has 45 caps for her country.
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