Matildas star left with black eye after showdown with Sweden

Matildas striker Caitlin Foord has taken to social media to show off her shocking injury following the team’s third place playoff with Sweden.

The Matildas finished fourth at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup following a nailbiting 1-0 loss to the Scandinavians on Saturday.

Just before halftime Foord collided heavily with Swedish captain Kosovare Asllani. As a result, Foord wore a bandage around her head for the rest of the match.

In an Instagram post, Foord revealed the reason behind the bandage as she nursed a black eye.

“The shiner is coming along nicely,” Foord wrote on Sunday. “Thanks for all the messages.”

The tongue-in-cheek post comes as the team celebrate their success at the World Cup while in Brisbane.

Foord, who is from Shellharbour, and her teammates were presented a key to the City of Brisbane in a ceremony on Sunday.

The event also featured a performance by singer Nikki Webster, who was brought on stage to play the team’s favourite song, Strawberry Kisses.

In the footage, Foord parties while wearing a pair of wide-brimmed black sunglasses, covering her injured eye.

While jovial, the reactions from the team following their back-to-back loses against England and Sweden were mixed.

A devastated Sam Kerr shared on Instagram following the team’s loss to England a photo of her knelt over with the caption: “We gave it all.”

Of the loss, she told 7 News: “Really disappointed obviously. We just fell short but yeah really proud of the girls for this whole tournament.”

In later interviews, Kerr reflected on the commitment of fans who she said had helped the team feel like winners after their loss.

For her part, Foord wrote on Sunday that the team’s loss against Sweden was disappointing and it “hurt a lot” to not