ARSENAL WOMEN forward Vivianne Miedema was taken off on a stretcher in tears after suffering a serious knee injury against Lyon.
The Gunners progressed through to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League on Thursday night despite a 1-0 defeat to the French champions.
Vivianne Miedema went down after a horrible fall on her kneeRex
PAArsenal’s medical team spent time treating her on the pitch[/caption]
GettyMiedema was reduced to tears as she was carried off on a stretcher[/caption]
The only goal of the game came in stoppage time at the end of the first half when Danielle van de Donk’s header was deflected into her own net by Frida Maanum.
However, that was not the headline story from the evening at the Emirates Stadium.
Dutch attacker Miedema, 26, went down clutching her knee after falling awkwardly while contesting the ball.
She received treatment on the pitch and was eventually carried off on a stretcher while in tears.
Beth Mead, her team-mate and partner, watched on from the sidelines on crutches as she nurses her ruptured ACL.
After the game, Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall was asked about Miedema’s condition, to which he said: “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her or the doctor.
“Right now I am very concerned of course. But we had to stay focused during the game.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any update at all on that situation.”
Van de Donk, a compatriot and former Arsenal team-mate of Miedema’s, was concerned about the injury during a brief half-time interview.
She said: “I feel very sad for her because you don’t wish that on anyone. It doesn’t look good so my thoughts are with her.”
Miedema has scored 114 goals in 132 games since joining the Gunners back in 2017.
She is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and will be a major miss for Arsenal – who sit three points behind league leaders Chelsea in the WSL table, with a game in hand.