Ballon d'Or winner Hegerberg plays first game in 625 days as Lyon make winning UWCL start

Ballon d’Or winner Hegerberg plays first game in 625 days as Lyon make winning UWCL start

October 5, 2021 Sports 2 Views


The competition record goalscorer ended her long layoff following a succession of debilitating injuries with a late cameo off the bench

Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg played her first game in 625 days as Sonia Bompastor’s side made a winning start to the new UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign against Hacken.

Finishes from Melvine Malard and Catarina Macario – the latter’s sixth of the season – plus an own goal from Stine Larsen, ensured a 3-0 victory on Les Fenottes’s UWCL return.

The 2018 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner and competition record goalscorer ended her near-two-year horrorshow layoff following a succession of debilitating injuries with a late cameo off the bench.

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What happened?

Named on the bench ahead of kick-off, the chance of a first match since January 2020 represents the end of a long wait for Hegerberg following a difficult period plagued by fitness issues.

Over 20 months on from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, the former Norway international – whose haul of 53 finishes is an all-time record in the UWCL – was brought on in the 79th minute.

The 26-year-old played out the rest of the match without issue, as Lyon wrapped up their 3-0 victory against the Swedish outfit at Bravida Arena in Gothenburg.