05.03.2008, 11:17
Reiche's season is over

The injury of the Viborg right winger is serious: Reiche will miss the rest of the season. Coach Ryde will have limited options on the right side.

Reiche's season is over

When most of the injured Viborg players are about to return, an unfortunate accident happens again. This time it is the German right winger/ back of Viborg, Nora Reiche, to suffer a cruciate ligament injury in her knee.

The 24-year old German international was injured during last CL game against Hypo Niederösterreich. It was early in the second half that Reiche collided with her national team mate, Hypo goalkeeper Sabine Englert, after scoring on a counter attack.

At first the incident looked quite harmless, but Nora Reiche remained on the floor holding her knee. She obviously had severe pain as her as her knee twisted in the situation. She had to be carried off from court.

Out for six months

According to the German news agency DPA, the diagnosis was just as bad as many feared: Nora Reiche will need to undergo surgery with a torn ligament. Reiche, who joined Viborg from Bundesliga club HC Leipzig before this season on a three year contract, will have to miss six months, which is the rest of the season with Viborg and also the Olympic qualification games with the German national team. Reiche would probably also miss the Olympic Games, should Germany qualify.

In Viborg, Reiche’s injury leaves head coach Tomas Ryde with new problems. The club’s other right winger, Romanian international Christina Várzaru, is also out for the rest of the season (also with a knee injury).

Ryde still has Norwegian international, Ida Bjørndalen, who can play in the right wing position. Grit Jurack is still available in the back position, but there will be no substitutes for these two players with Reiche out.

Ryde tried left winger Christina Roslyng Christiansen on the right wing for a while against Hypo, but she did not have much success in attack.

TEXT: Peter Bruun