A painful blow to the Netherlands women’s soccer team at the Tokyo Olympics

Sherida Spitz has announced that she has been left out of the Netherlands women’s football team participating in the Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury she sustained during training on Monday, dealing a painful blow to her country’s hopes of achieving Olympic gold.

“My great dream has suddenly evaporated, words cannot express the bitterness that I feel now,” Spitz told Dutch media today, Tuesday, after she ruptured her ligaments after a challenge during training.
She added, “I always did my best in the tackles during training, but this time I had bad luck. It’s a big setback for me and the team.”

Dutch coach Sarina Wegmann expressed her sympathy for Spetse, and said, during a press conference on Tuesday: “Football has been the focus of her whole life and she has been striving to shine in these games. It is painful for her and a painful blow to the team.

Wolfsburg’s Joel Smits will replace Spitz in the tournament, in which the Netherlands begins its campaign against Zambia on Wednesday.