- Hegerberg walks off before the match.
- Norway settles for a goalless draw.
- Must win final group match to progress.
WHAT HAPPENED? The Women's World Cup saw a strange incident when Ada Hegerberg, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, left the pitch just moments before Norway's match against Switzerland was set to begin. Despite being named in the starting lineup and completing the warm-up, Hegerberg left the field after a discussion with a member of Norway's staff during the team huddle. Norway, without using a substitution, replaced her with Haug but could only manage a 0-0 draw.
Please enable Javascript to view this contentWHAT THEY SAID: Ada Hegerberg (via Twitter): "I felt discomfort when sprinting right after the anthems. We decided with the staff that no risk should be taken and no subs should be wasted in such an important game for us, and we all trusted Sophie, Karina, and the team to do the job, which they did. We move on.".
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The abrupt departure of Ada Hegerberg before the match raised eyebrows and created confusion on the pitch. Despite the draw, Norway faces a challenging situation as they are currently bottom of group A, having lost their opening game to New Zealand. To progress, they must secure a victory against the Philippines in their final group match and hope for favourable results from other games.
IN A PHOTO:
@AdaStolsmo (twitter)WHAT'S NEXT FOR HEGERBERG?: With a crucial final group match ahead, Norway's focus will be on securing a win to advance to the next stage of the Women's World Cup. The circumstances surrounding Hegerberg's withdrawal will likely be assessed before the next game.