It certainly wasn't how Delaila Amega had imagined her 23rd birthday: on Monday, Borussia Dortmund's World Cup-winning handball star was diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament. Amega suffered the injury in BVB's Champions League match with Brest Bretagne last week.

The playmaker, who joined BVB from league rivals TuS Metzingen in the summer, will undergo an operation in Straubing on Thursday and faces six months of recuperation. ''We've been shocked by this injury. We wish Delaila all the best and we hope that she can get back in action as soon as possible. We will however give her all the time she needs in the long period of recuperation. Head up, Delaila. We're thinking of you,'' said BVB handball department director Andreas Heiermann. (br)