Arsenal face an anxious wait on further news over the extent of Vivianne Miedema's injury after she was stretchered of f during Thursday's 1-0 defeat by Lyon.
The Gunners qualified for the Champions League knockout stage despite the loss, but the night was soured by their Dutch star suffering what could be a serious injury just before half-time. Miedema fell awkwardly after extending her leg while trying to reach a loose ball, going down under no contact from the opposition.
It is unknown at this stage specifically what injury she has suffered. However, given the number of anterior cruciate ligament ruptures suffered in the women's game, fellow professionals and fans are understandably concerned.
Miedema's teammate and partner, Beth Mead, suffered an ACL injury only last month during a 3-2 defeat by Manchester United that has left her hopes of playing for England at next summer's World Cup finals hanging by a thread. Mead was in the stands watching on Thursday night and, still on crutches herself, immediately went down to pitchside once it became clear how serious Miedema's injury was.
The England star looked visibly distressed when doing so, as did the rest of Miedema's Arsenal colleagues. After the match, Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said he was unsure exactly how bad the injury was or how long she could be out of action for.
"I don’t know yet," he said of Miedema's injury "I haven’t spoken to her or the doctors. Right now, it takes a lot of my thoughts, I am very concerned over it, of course. But we had to stay focused during the game and focus on our performance. I am sorry, I don’t have any update."
Can Arsenal win the Women's Champions League this season? Have your say in the comments!
Lyon manager Sonia Bompastor was empathetic towards opposite number Eidevall after Arsenal suffered yet another injury to an already-depleted squad.
"As a coach of Lyon, I know what it is lose players to bad injuries," Bompastor said. "I'm sad for her (Miedema). It's very bad for the women's game to lose players like her."
Netherlands international Miedema had only recently returned to action after she took some time off to recharge, granted a leave of absence by the club. She returneded with a stunning run of form, scoring the winning goal in victories over Everton and Juventus.
Miedema also scored the crucial second goal in Sunday's 4-1 Women's Super League comeback win at Aston Villa - her fourth in as many games in all competitions. Considering Arsenal have already had Leah Williamson, captain Kim Little, Rafaelle Souza, Lina Hurtig and Mead spend time in the treatment room this season, it is yet another injury blow for Eidevall to deal with.
With Miedema forced off, the Arsenal boss pushed forward Frida Maanum into a more advanced role during the second half, while Williamson moved up from centre-back to a deep-lying midfield role. If Eidevall does the same in the game against Zurich next week, it could be an indicator of how Arsenal attempt to deal with Miedema's absence.
In the meantime, everyone at the club - and her national team - will be hoping the injury isn't as serious as first feared.
NEW! Our Year: European Champions 2022 - The Official England Winners Book
With a foreword by England manager Sarina Wiegman, this is the only official book of the historic triumph, reliving every kick of a thrilling tournament and telling the stories of the players who made it all happen.
Order from https://reachsportshop.com/book/our-year-european-champion-2022/
