Norway's Hegerberg out injured from World Cup game moments before kickoff

The former Ballon d'Or winner had lined up for the national anthems before going back to the dressing room, with Sophie Roman Haug coming on instead as a last-minute change.

The Norwegian Football Association said Hegerberg - all-time top scorer in the Women's Champions League - had felt a pain in her groin in the last sprint of the warm-up, and put out a tweet to explain the replacement.

The 28-year-old forward with French champions Lyon has spent much of the last few years battling injuries. Norway lost their opening game in Group A, going down 1-0 to co-hosts New Zealand, while Switzerland beat the Philippines 2-0.

A 1-0 win for debutants the Philippines against New Zealand earlier on Tuesday blew the group wide open. Norway sit bottom of the group, after a loss and a draw, and will need to beat the Philippines if they want to stand any chance of making out of the group.

 

July 25, 2023