Switzerland superstar Alisha Lehmann has been praised for her bravery after suffering a bloodied face in her country's 1-0 win over Sweden in the Nations League. The 24-year-old, who has been dubbed “the world's sexiest footballer”, was left with a bloodied nose and had to be replaced in the 70th minute after a nasty collision during the game.

Despite her injury, Lehmann took to Instagram after the game to post a message to her 16 million followers, writing: “Big fight yesterday, so happy with the 3 points and so proud of the team.” Her former Aston Villa teammate Ruesha Littlejohn was among those who praised the Switzerland international for her bravery, writing: “So brave, so strong, so sexy.”

Lehmann's performance was all the more impressive given that Switzerland was playing in snowy conditions in Luzern. The win was Switzerland's first in the Nations League after a poor start to the group, including Italy and Spain. This is not the first time that Lehmann has been in the spotlight for her appearance. In October, she was criticized for wearing make-up during Switzerland's 7-1 defeat to Spain. However, Lehmann has found plenty of defenders.

TV presenter Vicki Blomme compared Lehmann wearing make-up on the pitch to Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham caring about their hair. “Yes, she plays with her sexuality, but they have done it many times,” Blomme said on the Soccer Sisters podcast. “Look at Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. I think make-up and personal grooming are seen differently than if a boy does his hair.

“A lot of people think it's vanity, but it's also feeling. The feeling of feeling confident and strong, there's something to that. I think it's good that we're different and look however we want. You take some of the attention away from football, but that's how it happened also with Beckham. There is nothing wrong with playing football with make-up; we have to stop blaming them.”

Lehmann is a rising star for Switzerland in women's football and will continue to make headlines both on and off the pitch.