Megan Rapinoe’s brilliant football career ended in sad moods. Rapinoe injured her Achilles tendon in her farewell match.
Matti Lehtisaari,
STT Sports
My football icon Megan Rapinoe career came to a sad end when the American suffered an Achilles tendon injury after only three minutes of the game, and the Reign he represented lost the final match of the North American Women’s Premier League NWSL to Gotham FC with a score of 1-2.
Rapinoe was injured the night before Sunday in a match played in Finnish time in a seemingly harmless situation, when no other player was near her. He collapsed to the surface of the field in pain. Rapinoe received a standing ovation while the medical staff helped her off the field.
In her career, Rapinoe, 38, achieved, for example, the world championships in 2015 and 2019 and Olympic gold in 2012. She did not win the NWSL championship.
– This is a tough place. In no case did this go the way I wanted the last match to go, a tearful Rapinoe said after the match.
– I’m pretty sure my Achilles tendon tore, he guessed.
Only the end could be changed
The United States missed the quarterfinals in the summer World Cup competitions, and Rapinoe’s National Team career, which lasted more than 17 years, ended in September. He played a total of 203 games for the United States and scored 63 goals.
At the club team level, he won the French league championship in Lyon in 2013. He won the NWSL regular season three times, but the playoff success that led to the championship was missed even in the last attempt.
– I thank everyone who has been part of this journey. “It’s been great, and except for maybe an ending like this, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Rapinoe said.
– I am super proud of my entire career and really grateful for what it has given me and how long I have been able to play. As tough a place as it was tonight, this is still great and I’m grateful to be here and I’m proud of the team.