The Chelsea supporters have had to be patient for their first sight of Catarina Macario in a Blues shirt, but the USA international made it worth the wait.

The striker wasted no time when she was able to make her long-awaited debut, in her first match since suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Lyon in their last game of the 2021/22 season.

Just six minutes after coming off the bench to replace Mayra Ramirez in Sunday's 4-0 Women's Super League victory at Leicester City, Macario had her first Chelsea goal, taking Aggie Beever-Jones' pass well to get the ball out of her feet before finishing under the keeper.

'Honestly I can’t believe it, it feels like a dream,' said Macario. 'Obviously it’s been a really long road and even when I was preparing for this it felt a little bit surreal.

'I’m just super lucky to have the team-mates that I do, they have supported me a lot during this whole time. And also a major shout-out to the staff, just because they’ve prepared me for this point and I feel like this debut and the goal and the comeback is all thanks to them. I’m just very happy.'

Our No9 was mobbed by her delighted team-mates after finding the net at Leicester and explained why she is so grateful to her fellow Blues for all their support during her recovery, right up to the moment she stepped on to the pitch in a Chelsea shirt for the first time.

'They’ve been tremendous,' she added. 'I definitely would not have been able to have made it without them and they’ve been there through every single step, during the bad times, during the good times.

'I’m just so happy that I can actually play with them for once and hopefully I can start to make an impact and go from there, especially in this busy month.

'I was a bit nervous on the bench but the girls, specifically Melly [Melanie Leupolz] and Zi [Zecira Musovic] who were next to me, they were telling me “it’s okay, you’ve got this”. They were giving me a bit of a pep talk.

'But I did a little bit of a warm-up a few weeks ago, just to help prepare me for what game day is like. So when it came I felt prepared for it.

'I didn’t know the goal would come, obviously. I was just happy to be there, but that’s the cherry on top.'

Macario is also grateful for the welcome she has been given by the Chelsea supporters, both during her recovery and at Leicester, where she received a standing ovation from the travelling fans when she was introduced and again at the final whistle.

'They’re so cute! Honestly, it was just so nice coming in and hearing their support and just having that moment afterwards too. I definitely have felt their love and support during this whole time.

'Even when I wasn’t playing they have been sending me messages, being just the greatest fans, honestly. So I hope that I can continue this journey and make them proud.'

With her first game and first goal under her belt, we are sure there will be plenty more opportunities for Macario to continue repaying that support from her team-mates, staff and fans during the remainder of this season and beyond.