Germany will be without Dzsenifer Marozsan for the rest of the group stage at the Women's World Cup because of a broken toe.
Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg announced the injury on Tuesday, a day before her team was to play Spain in Valenciennes, France. The coach said she hopes the 27-year-old midfielder can return before the end of the tournament.
"It just hurts to not see her play because it was a special tournament for Dzseni, so it affects us not only as a sports matter but on a personal level," Voss-Tecklenburg said through a translator.
Marozsan broke the toe on her left foot in Gemany's opening match against China on Saturday. The two-time World Cup champions won 1-0.
Marozsan was an inspirational story for the tournament in France, having returned to the game after a pulmonary embolism kept her sidelined for several months last year.
In the final at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, she scored against Sweden in a 2-1 victory for her country's first gold medal. She has 32 goals in 89 international appearances for Germany.
Marozsan currently plays for Lyon and has been the French player of the year for the past two seasons. Lyon recently won its fourth straight Champions League title.
A World Cup championship is the only major title Marozsan doesn't have.
"For us it means as a team that we have to try to compensate the losses to make sure the players who are on the pitch are getting the support, and adapt the way we play," Voss-Tecklenburg said.
