Chelsea defender Nathalie Björn's season is over due to injury, as confirmed by her Instagram post. She first injured her hamstring, then suffered an ankle injury after only two minutes on the pitch in her comeback three months later. According to SVT Sport, Nathalie Björn described feeling immediately that the season was over due to the pain and inability to do anything. She has experienced a mental rollercoaster, feeling dramatic and fearing she might never walk again or need crutches for life. Björn was substituted in tears and limped around on crutches after the match, having not played since Sweden faced France in early December.
Bayern Munich are set to be without a senior goalkeeper for Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at home to Atalanta. All four of the club's senior goalkeepers have picked up injuries. Sven Ulreich tore a muscle in his right adductor during Saturday's 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen and will be out for 'the time being', according to Bayern Munich. Jonas Urbig took a blow to the head in last Tuesday's first leg against Atalanta, while Leon Klanac has been ruled out since December with a thigh problem. Bayern loaned Daniel Peretz to Southampton in the January transfer window, compounding the shortage.
We gave everything to win. We had enough chances over the two legs. Conceding two goals from set-pieces today was criminal. It completely shifted the momentum. We came very close. Football is about moments, they took theirs more than us.
This situation could lead to a historic debut, as manager Vincent Kompany could hand 16-year-old Leonard Prescott his professional debut in the Champions League. If selected, Prescott would become the youngest goalkeeper in Champions League history and the eighth-youngest player to feature in the competition, according to reports. Jannis Bartl, 19, would likely be named on the bench for Bayern, according to multiple reports. The decision comes as Bayern won 6-1 in Italy in the first leg against Atalanta, giving them a commanding aggregate lead.
Bayern's injury concerns extend beyond the goalkeeping department to their star striker. Harry Kane is injured and will miss Bayern Munich's league match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, but is expected to return for the Champions League match against Atalanta, according to Vincent Kompany. Kane missed Saturday’s come-from-behind 3-2 Bundesliga win at Freiburg, the fifth match the England captain has missed in his past seven for club and country. The 32-year-old missed both of England’s March friendlies, with coach Thomas Tuchel saying it was only a 'minor' complaint. German media speculated the forward was rested against Freiburg with Real Madrid in mind, given his history of ankle injuries.
Football is all about details. When you look at how the two games went, we wouldn’t have wished for a lot different, except the goals we conceded. We knew about Inter’s strengths going forward and from set-pieces – but we were also dangerous and had our chances.
Kane's pursuit of his first career trophy is laden with near-misses, including a tearful Champions League exit this season. He was seen fighting back tears after Bayern Munich were dumped out of the Champions League by Inter Milan at San Siro. Kane gave Munich hope with a first-half strike but a three-minute spell in the second-half put the German side back behind after Lautaro Martínez and Benjamin Pavard got on the scoresheet for Inter. Eric Dier got Bayern back level on the night but the 2-2 draw left Kane still searching for the first trophy of his career, having also missed a 91st-minute chance to level the tie. He finished runner-up in the Champions League in 2019 with Tottenham Hotspur and has experienced two European Championship final defeats with England, in addition to finishing second in the Premier League and losing a League Cup final while at Spurs.
Chelsea's men's team is also grappling with defensive injuries after a humiliating European exit. The club will wait on tests to assess the extent of the damage to key defender Trevoh Chalobah, after he was carried off the field on a stretcher at the end of the Blues’ 3-0 Champions League defeat by PSG on Tuesday evening. Chelsea lost 8-2 on aggregate to PSG, the heaviest-ever two-legged defeat for the club in Europe. Manager Liam Rosenior suggested Chalobah suffered sprained ankle ligaments, joining Reece James and Malo Gusto on the injury list.
The physios are working on it. He’s been at the training ground constantly, receiving treatment. We believe that it’ll work.
In netball, England goalkeeper Jaz Brown will miss the rest of the Netball Super League season and Commonwealth Games this summer because of a serious Achilles injury that requires surgery. Brown sustained the injury against Nottingham Forest on 15 March, slipping on the court. Her club, Rhinos, expect the rehabilitation to be 'lengthy'. This blow compounds turmoil for England netball, as Roses head coach Jess Thirlby stood down unexpectedly four months before the Commonwealth Games, with Anna Stembridge set to lead the side in an interim capacity.
Additional injury concerns plague Bayern Munich ahead of their European fixture. Alphonso Davies suffered a muscle injury during Bayern Munich's match against Atalanta and left the field in tears, according to sporting director Max Eberl. Jamal Musiala and goalkeeper Jonas Urbig also left the same match due to injuries. However, there is some positive news as Manuel Neuer has returned to training following a calf strain, but Kompany insists he won't rush him back.
I’m generally a positive person.
For Nathalie Björn, the recovery journey is now focused on a return to the national team. She had a tough week mentally when she could walk normally without crutches or limping in a machine that removes 40 percent of body weight, but felt her body wasn't functioning as it should. Her goal is to return to the national team during the World Cup qualifiers in June, according to official sources. However, she will miss Sweden's World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Serbia in April.
Chelsea's women's team secured a League Cup victory amid their own injury concerns. Chelsea won the Women's League Cup final against Manchester United, with the final score 2–0 after goals by Lauren James and Agnes Beever-Jones. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd assisted Beever-Jones' 2-0 goal in the second half. This success came as defender Hanna Marklund made a comeback in the final, having been dealing with injury concerns since mid-December. The win provides a bright spot for Chelsea, whose men's side has picked up only five points from their last five Premier League games and sits sixth in the table.
I have a feeling he’ll make it.
Injuries are also affecting other European football national teams. Philip Billing was injured during FC Midtjylland's Europa League match against Nottingham Forest, raising concerns for the Danish national team, according to Mike Tullberg. Sandro Tonali was injured during Newcastle's Champions League match against Barcelona, potentially affecting his availability for Italy's World Cup playoff. Additionally, Bradley Barcola of PSG has suffered a serious foot injury and will be unavailable for several weeks, missing French national team matches.
Despite his injury setbacks, Harry Kane remains statistically dominant and central to Bayern's trophy ambitions. He has 48 goals in 40 matches in all competitions this season. After finishing second in the Bundesliga to Bayer Leverkusen in his debut season in Germany, Kane is on course to secure his first piece of silverware this season with Bayern, who have a six-point lead over second-placed Leverkusen with five games to play. With Bayern on track for another Bundesliga title and through to the final four in the German Cup, Kane is crucial to their Champions League hopes. Six-time Champions League winners Bayern are among the favourites for the competition but have not beaten Real Madrid since 2012.
Wow, what a comeback. Credit to the boys, that wasn’t easy -- what mentality, what a win (and) a great away three points.
Nathalie Björn's injury is a significant blow given her recent rise. She was awarded the Diamond Ball at the end of last season and has gained significant trust at Chelsea and grown into a key player for the Swedish national team, according to official sources. Her absence will be felt in Sweden's next national team match, a World Cup qualifier at home against Denmark on 14 April.
Reactions to these injuries are mixed, with several key details still unknown. Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor did not provide an update on Björn, leaving the exact severity and recovery timeline unclear. Similarly, the specific diagnosis and return date for Trevoh Chalobah's ankle injury are pending test results. For Bayern, it remains uncertain whether Leonard Prescott will actually make his Champions League debut, and the full extent of the goalkeeper injuries and who will start against Atalanta is yet to be finalized. Regarding Harry Kane, the exact nature and recovery timeline for his ankle injury ahead of a potential Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid are not fully disclosed.
I describe my recent injury as a 'freak accident', my body was never as strong as it was at that time.
The implications of these injuries are wide-ranging for teams and competitions. Bayern Munich defeated Atalanta 6-1 in Bergamo and is practically qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals, but their goalkeeper crisis could jeopardize their progress. Chelsea's defensive woes, with Chalobah joining James and Gusto on the sidelines, threaten their Premier League standing as they sit sixth. For England netball, the loss of Jaz Brown and the unexpected coaching change create uncertainty ahead of the Commonwealth Games, where netball runs from 25 July to 2 August. England won gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games but missed out on a medal at the 2022 edition in Birmingham, adding pressure to this summer's campaign.
I felt immediately that the season was over due to the pain and inability to do anything.
I am worried about returning and not being as good, but I believe I will come back better than ever.