Wellington Phoenix coach Bev Priestman, hoping to see him on the field soon, says: ”Samba is probably the most popular player on the team. The team loves him very much.”
What you should know
Nepali national football team striker Savitra Bhandari 'Samba' has been injured while playing in the Australian Women's Football League.
She was injured in the second half of the round 11 match against Brisbane Roar on Saturday. Samba suffered a right leg injury in a collision with the Roar goalkeeper. Samba and the Roar keeper collided while heading the ball in the air.
Her club, Wellington Phoenix, announced Samba's injury on Wednesday. The club said that she will be out of action for the rest of the season due to the severity of her injury.
Wellington Phoenix According to an MRI scan, Samba has torn the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft in her right knee and will be out for 9 to 12 months.
Samba joined Wellington Phoenix last July for the 2025-26 season. She will now miss all of this season's matches. Wellington Phoenix is a New Zealand club. However, he plays in the A-League Women, which is dominated by Australian clubs.
Phoenix head coach Bev Priestman said the team was completely devastated by Samba's injury. "I know the team is completely devastated for him," Priestman said. She praised Samba, saying, "Samba is probably the most popular player in the team. The team loves him very much."
She expressed confidence that Samba would recover quickly and return to the game. The club expressed its deep sadness at the injury to its striker. It said, "Samba, we wish you a trouble-free and speedy recovery."
