There could not have been a more poetic ending to Women's Football Weekend.Ada Hegerberg, one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch, marked her goalscoring return after almost 21 months struggling with injury.The Lyon striker bagged herself two goals against Paris Saint-Germain to round off a dominant 6-1 win.Hegerberg made her league return last month in a 29-minute cameo appearance against Montpellier. She then played 45 minutes against Soyaux before stamping her mark on the French division during Women's Football Weekend.Lyon had full control of the match — leading PSG 4-0 by the time the striker came on. The Parisians then struck back to earn themselves a consolation goal, but it would be completely ignored after an emphatic double from Hegerberg.In the 79th minute, the Norwegian stroked the ball past Barbora Votíková with a clean left-footed hit to mark the fifth of the evening and her first in two years.
To make the night even sweeter, she grabbed her brace just three minutes later, well and truly putting an end to all the waiting and heartache.
In January 2020, Hegerberg and Lyon confirmed she had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and would be out for the remainder of the season. Despite signing a contract extension in December, the 26-year-old would remain sidelined for almost another full calendar year.
Lyon had an extremely out of character 2020/21 season — failing to pick up any silverware as they were knocked off their Division 1 and Champions League thrones by PSG.
The team was crying out for their star striker and their talisman — the woman who made history by becoming the first ever winner of the Women's Ballon d'Or just three years ago.
The wait is now finally over. Hegerberg's raw emotion shown during her celebration was felt across the world as she punched the air and shed a few tears of joy. Her teammates grasped her, knowing how much the moment meant to her.
With the floodgates now open, we can surely expect more trademark Hegerberg performances to come this season after so long without them.