Vera Pauw says Republic of Ireland must wait to discover the extent of the injury that captain Katie McCabe suffered only two weeks before their opening World Cup game.
Arsenal player McCabe rolled her ankle during the first half of the 3-0 Dublin defeat to France as Ireland received a painful World Cup send-off.
McCabe had to be substituted after 29 minutes and Republic manager Pauw admitted they now have to play a waiting game ahead of their World Cup opener against tournament hosts Australia on July 20.
“It’s an ankle injury, she rolled over, she stepped off the foot of the opponent and we can’t say anything now,” Pauw told RTE after Ireland were picked apart after making a promising start at the Tallaght Stadium.
“We’ll see how it goes but hopefully it will not be too bad.
“Katie was fantastic on the pitch and you miss that. It definitely changed the game, we were in control (until the injury).
“You can not blame the one coming on. Issy (Atkinson) did really well but Katie is extraordinary and of course you miss that immensely.”
Ireland should have been ahead after 11 minutes when Kyra Carusa finished Sinead Farrelly’s flick on.
The goal was ruled out for offside despite television replays showing that Carusa had timed her run perfectly.
With no VAR to correct the decision, France – ranked fifth in the world and 17 places higher than Ireland – made the most of their good fortune after McCabe had left the action.
Maelle Lakrar and Eugenie Le Sommer struck in first-half stoppage time, and the former sealed matters with a powerful header just after the hour mark.
Pauw said: “We were all so proud and it was such a shame in two minutes that we had individual mistakes.
“That is why we play these games, France is one of the candidates to become world champions.
“You could see the difference in quality and we know that. We’re not there but it’s a very good exercise.
“You learn from playing this level and from these little details that you have to be better.”
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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