Derby, England – A dominant 3-0 victory for the Lionesses over Australia at Pride Park on Tuesday night was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to forward Michelle Agyemang. The 19-year-old, who plays for Arsenal and is currently on loan at Brighton, was visibly distressed as she was stretchered off the pitch after appearing to injure her knee.
Agyemang, a star during England's Euro 2025 triumph, came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute but went down clutching her knee just 18 minutes later in an incident away from the ball. The young forward's teammates showed visible concern as she received treatment on the field.
Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman expressed her concern following the match. "It was an awful moment, it doesn't look good," Wiegman said. "Of course, we don't know yet, but I'm not very positive about what I've seen". Wiegman also told ITV Sport, "When you're stretchered off, that's not nice anyway. But, yeah, that doesn't look good. It's, of course, not confirmed. But, yeah, it looks bad". Agyemang was later seen leaving the stadium on crutches.
While the full extent of the injury is yet to be determined pending further assessment, there are fears that Agyemang may have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
The injury cast a shadow over what was otherwise a celebratory evening for the Lionesses. England were already in control of the match after Alanna Kennedy of Australia was shown a red card in the 19th minute for a foul on Alessia Russo. Aggie Beever-Jones scored the opening goal, followed by Lucy Bronze on her 34th birthday, and a late penalty from Georgia Stanway sealed the victory.
Aggie Beever-Jones also spoke after the match, saying, "I don't know what she has done, I just hope she's okay. It's never nice to see anyone in pain like that. I'm just praying she's okay".
Despite the win, Wiegman acknowledged the dampening effect of Agyemang's injury. "We had wanted to do a couple of things at the end but unfortunately we had some injuries," she stated. Wiegman added, "Happy with the result, 3-0 is a good score. We started really well, dominated the game, put them under pressure in and out of possession".
The Lionesses will be hoping for positive news regarding Agyemang's condition as they look ahead to future fixtures.
