England Lionesses defender Alex Greenwood’s horrific injury came to light after she arrived at the airport after the FIFA Women’s World Cup final on August 20.
Sarina Wiegman’s England Lionesses had a campaign to remember in the 2023 Women’s World Cup as they reached the final of the tournament for the first time. However, despite being the favorites, their fairy tale run eventually ended up becoming a nightmare after an impressive Spanish side took down the English hopes 1-0.
Consequently, the tournament ended on a more painful note for Manchester City defender, Alex Greenwood. She was in stellar form during the whole tournament. However, during the 77th minute of the final, she got hit by Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono’s knee on her face.
The Spain forward was given a yellow card following the incident. Moreover, the central defender had to take treatment on the ground following her eye injury. Hence, as the England defender arrived in her native country, she was pictured having a black eye and a painful cut stitched up.
Despite the gruesome injury, she continued to play and complete the match. Consequently, her treatment was a major reason behind the match having 13 minutes of stoppage time.
Commentary shows concern about the injury of England’s Alex Greenwood
In the 77th minute of the final, Alex Greenwood took a knee from Spanish attacker Salma Paralluelo direct on her face. Consequently, the knee left the Manchester City defender in a bloodied mess and the match had to be stopped as officials rushed toward the player to check the wound.
As Greenwood took the massive blow, BBC commentator Rachel Brown-Finnis said:
“You can see the blood on Alex Greenwood’s head. It’s a high knee to the face from Salma Paralluelo. If it’s a patch-up job, Greenwood will stay on. If there is any whiff of concussion, then a key part of the defense will be gone. This is not a good sight.”
However, the 29-year-old Greenwood continued playing for her side as the England Lionesses pushed hard for a potential equalizer. Nevertheless, they failed to get the match leveled as Spain managed to win their first FIFA Women’s World Cup title.