The Oranje won’t have a key attacker at their disposal for the knock-out stage.
Netherlands star Lieke Martens will miss the rest of the Euro 2022 with an injury.
Martens was the Player of the Tournament when the Oranje won the tournament in 2017. She went on to win the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Women’s Player later that year.
The former Barcelona star, who joined Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer, was a key player for Netherlands in the current tournament’s group-stage matches.
However, the Oranje must now look to find a replacement for Martens as she will stay sidelined until the end of the tournament.
“Lieke Martens suffered a foot injury during the match against Switzerland,” a statement on the team’s Twitter page read.
“Further investigation has shown that it is no longer possible for her to take action during this European Championship. Lots of luck, Lieke.”
Martens picked up the injury when Netherlands crushed Switzerland 4-1 in their last group-stage game on Sunday. The victory came after a draw against Sweden and a thrilling 3-2 win over Portugal.
The title defenders must face France in their quarter-final battle on Saturday.
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