Rapinoe suffers shock early exit with injury in final match

LONDON: Twice World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe's final professional appearance came to a crushing early end as the OL Reign veteran exited the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship in the third minute on Saturday with injury. The showdown between OL Reign and Gotham FC was highly anticipated as an emotional farewell for the 2019 Ballon d'Or winner and her former U.S. women's national team mate Ali Krieger.

But the retirement party came to an abrupt end as Rapinoe went down with an apparent non-contact injury, grasping at her right calf before limping off the field as the fans at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium gave her a standing ovation. Krieger, a defender for the opposing Gotham FC, ran to her friend and offered Rapinoe an embrace as she exited the pitch.

The 38-year-old Olympic gold medallist Rapinoe was sidelined this year with a calf injury but her quick exit from her final professional match nonetheless left fans and fellow U.S. women's national team veterans stunned. "Absolutely gutted," retired U.S. great Mia Hamm wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.