Australian star striker Sam Kerr will miss at least the first two games of the Matildas' World Cup campaign with a calf injury suffered in training.
The announcement came just 90 minutes prior to Australia's kick-off against the Republic of Ireland, with 75,000 in attendance in Sydney to see the co-hosts open the action in Group B.
Kerr picked up a calf problem in Wednesday's final prep session and was forced to watch from the sidelines as her teammates took to the field at Stadium Australia.
"Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training,” the 29-year-old forward said in a statement.
"I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from us doing what we came here to achieve."
The Matildas' all-time top scorer, Kerr entered the World Cup as the Australians' poster girl, with 29 goals in all competitions for Chelsea during their most recent double-winning season.
As well as the Ireland game, she will miss the clash with a Nigeria team spearheaded by Barcelona's five-time African Women's Footballer of the Year Asisat Oshoala, which takes place in Brisbane on Thursday at 11:00 BST.
An encounter with Canada a week on Monday completes what could prove a difficult group run for Australia, and it is expected that the talismanic Kerr will be assessed before the game.
In on-field matters, Arsenal's Steph Catley took the captain's armband for the Ireland match-up on Thursday morning after a shock 1-0 win for New Zealand over Norway raised the curtain in style in Auckland.
The defender marked the occasion by firing her side ahead from the penalty spot just after half-time, after Hayley Raso was brought down by Marissa Sheva.
Ireland's Girls in Green are appearing at their first World Cup. Vera Pauw's side meet Canada on Wednesday at 13:00 before facing the Nigerians on gameday three.