Ada Hegerberg scores hat-trick on her return to the Norway squad after five years away from international football
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Updated 07/04/2022 at 18:06 GMT
After walking away from her country five years ago in protest against the treatment of women footballers, Ada Hegerberg returned with a bang as she struck three times in a 5-1 rout of Kosovo in their Women's World Cup qualifier. The inaugural Ballon d'Or winner didn't take long to show her class, scoring two in two minutes during the first half, before claiming the match ball in the second half.
Ada Hegerberg
Image credit: Getty Images
After being away from the Norway national team for five years, Ada Hegerberg marked her return in sensational style by hitting a hat-trick as her side thrashed Kosovo 5-1 in their Women’s World Cup qualifying match.
The 26-year-old Lyon forward walked away from international duty in 2017, saying there was a lack of respect for women players in Norway.
It didn’t take long for the highly decorated player - who was the first winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or - to make her mark on her comeback, heading in Caroline Hansen’s cross after 20 minutes. Just two minutes later, Hegerberg was at it again, striking home from inside the penalty area.
After the break, Kosovo got themselves back into the game with a neatly taken goal, but Hegerberg was not done and was always going to be keen to hit the headlines on her return. On the hour mark, she raced onto a through ball from Vilde Risa before slamming the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs to complete her hat-trick.
Having seen a change in attitudes and personnel within the Norwegian setup, Hegerberg has chosen to return, which, on this showing, is great news for her team-mates, with the Women’s Euros in England just three months away.
One factor thought to be key in her return is former player Lise Klaveness taking on the role of president of the Norwegian Football Federation. She has also raised concerns over gender inequality in the past.
Last week, Hegerberg extended her lead as the all-time top scorer in the Champions League, netting her 57th goal in the competition as Lyon beat Juventus to reach the semi-finals.
Having already won five Champions League titles, six French league titles, five French Cups and the Norwegian Women’s Cup, she is still hungry for success.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Hegerberg said: “I want to create more records. I want to be back scoring 40 or 50 goals a season. They’re mad numbers, and it will take time, but I know I can.”
Perhaps the next big milestone will be success with her country, now that she is back in the red and white or Norway.
This result leaves the Norwegians top of their World Cup qualifying group - three points ahead of Belgium in second.
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