WOLVERHAMPTON, England: Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum is in a stable condition after collapsing and being taken off on a stretcher in her side's Women's League Cup final against Chelsea at Molineux on Sunday.
The Norway international went down in second-half stoppage time with the scores level at 0-0, prompting a delay of several minutes.
Maanum lay on her side as striker Stina Blackstenius, who went on to score Arsenal's extra-time winner, watched over her and captain Katie McCabe gestured for help.
The 24-year-old quickly received treatment before being removed from the field and being replaced by Alessia Russo as the game resumed, with Blackstenius getting the only goal of the game in the 116th minute to secure the trophy.
Arsenal later said on social media platform X that Maanum was "conscious, talking and in a stable condition", with Blackstenius admitting that she and her teammates were shocked by Maanum's collapse.
"It's always really hard, she's a teammate and friend to all of us, we care so much about her," the Swedish striker told the BBC.
"You worry a bit when stuff like this happens - we said we wanted to do this for her, to get this win for her because she couldn't be with us at that point."
Maanum's mother, Liz-Heidi Leonhardsen, told Norwegian newspaper VG that she had been watching on TV when her daughter collapsed and that she had been kept informed.
"Fortunately, I received a relatively quick update from a friend of hers who was at the match - Frida is doing well now and she is being followed up by the medical team at Arsenal," she said.
"It was a nightmare to follow the whole thing on TV without knowing what was going on." --REUTERS
