Denise O’Sullivan sheds moonboot and returns to training ahead of World Cup opener

There is cautious optimism that Denise O’Sullivan will start for the Republic of Ireland against Australia in the World Cup opener at the Olympic stadium in Sydney this Thursday.

O’Sullivan returned to training on Monday, beginning her tentative build-up to running at least one day before Group B kicks-off at 11am Irish time.

The 29-year-old Irish midfielder was rushed to hospital near Brisbane last Friday night with a shin injury after a foul by Colombia’s Lorena Bedoya 20 minutes into a warm-up game at Meakin Park, the Irish training base in Slacks Creek, Queensland.

The FAI abandoned the match three minutes later as this was the second foul on an Irish player, the first being a bruising challenge on Ruesha Littlejohn.

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Initially, the Ireland medic Dr Siobhan Foreman feared that O’Sullivan would miss her first major tournament but the North Carolina Courage skipper came out of a protective moonboot on Monday morning before rejoining the squad for the first session of a momentous week.

“Denise herself says there is a really good hope,” said manager Vera Pauw. “It will be step by step in this case. Denise is extremely fit. That helps.

“From there, we will see, but it is about what she can handle. Then we build up to the match.”

Footage of the Bedoya foul on O’Sullivan was released by the Colombian media over the weekend but the FAI refuses to supply evidence of earlier rough-housing by the South Americans, who face China in another friendly today.

Pauw and FAI director of football Marc Canham, who only arrived in Australia on Friday afternoon, does not want to add fuel to a social media blaze in case it distracts from preparations to face the host nation, the Matildas.

However, one of the Colombia players, Espanyol midfielder Daniela Caracas deemed the act “one little foul” and ridiculed the Irish “girls” for walking off the field.

Tensions had been bubbling prior to kick-off with Ireland skipper Katie McCabe getting fed up waiting for the opposition to come out of the changing room. The Arsenal winger led her team onto the field without the opposition.

Pauw was asked if the reaction online to the O’Sullivan foul, where thousands have questioned stopping proceedings, is a source of frustration.

“Well, if it was very frustrating, we would have come out with [more footage],” she replied. “We know that it was the total atmosphere [on the night] and this was not the only incident. That is what we know.

“And the tackle is over the ball and on the ankle, the ball was away and it was on the ankle. And not even a hand lower, she would have been out of the World Cup, for sure. And it was deliberate.”

The FAI will not upload the action to the Fifa hub.

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“We have been in contact with FIFA, so that is not my decision. I have nothing to hide. It has been discussed and it has been decided not to put it up.

“But it is not because I didn’t want to put it up. It is more like Australia is coming on and this has happened, let’s not go into another fight with the Colombians because I want to highlight again that their staff was absolutely calm.

“So I don’t want to instigate anything, it is one of those things that happened. As I said, I never experienced it before. Nobody had ever experienced before.

“We have dealt with it very professionally, I am proud of that still, the way we dealt with it. I am proud of myself, that we protected the players, that I had the guts to protect the players. And I think they have learnt from it, and their staff again was really calm. They were not trying to get on us, they were not trying to turn emotions around. We had very good contact.”

On the external commentary, Pauw added, “It does not bother me because I have switched off my social media and haven’t looked. For obvious reasons. I need to be here for the team. Completely.

“We are just busy with Australia, at this moment and we are just focusing and focusing and focusing on them, that is all we are doing at this moment.”