Robben comeback ends in early injury

AMSTERDAM: Arjen Robben lasted just 29 minutes of his comeback match at FC Groningen on Sunday before being forced off by injury in a disappointing start to his return at his boyhood club.

Robben has had a career beset by injuries and the latest looked to be a pulled hamstring, suffered as he sprinted to chase a potential pass against PSV Eindhoven on the opening weekend of the new Dutch league season.

The 36-year-old retired last year at Bayern Munich but in June announced a sensational comeback at the club where he began his professional career as a teenager.

He said he had an itch to the return to the game. His return to Groningen came as a lift to the provincial club, hoping for a positive impact from the veteran, who won 12 league titles in a glittering career at PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and the German giants, and 96 caps for his country.

But the much-anticipated comeback ended in a familiar sight with Robben feeling a suspected muscle pull and then quickly signalling to the bench that he needed to be replaced. He limped off, ripping off his shirt in frustration.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge)