Miedema plays first match in nearly six months ahead of international break

Miedema returned from a six-month knee injury layoff with 30 minutes off the bench for Manchester City against Chelsea, but City lost 1-0.

Vivianne Miedema made her first competitive appearance in nearly six months on Sunday, coming off the bench for 30 minutes in Manchester City's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. The 30-year-old Netherlands all-time top scorer has been sidelined since 31 May with a knee injury, the latest in a series of setbacks since she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in 2023.

Miedema's return comes ahead of the Netherlands' World Cup qualifier double-header against Slovenia on 1 and 5 December. Her fitness for those matches remains uncertain. Chelsea's Wieke Kaptein started the match, while teammate Veerle Buurman came on as a substitute but was forced to leave the field after just 12 minutes due to injury. Sandy Baltimore scored the match's only goal.