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VIDEO: Didier Drogba dominates in debut for Phoenix Rising FC

Posted at 11:20 PM, Jun 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-11 15:22:54-04

A surreal moment for Valley soccer fans came in April when Didier Drogba, one of the world's best and most popular soccer players, joined United Soccer League club Phoenix Rising as a co-owner.

That feeling was multiplied by a factor of 100 for fans in Scottsdale on Saturday night when Drogba took the field for the first time as a member of the team -- and he did not disappoint in his debut.

The 39-year-old former Chelsea star scored Phoenix Rising's only first-half goal and assisted on the second, to former Chelsea teammate Shaun Wright-Phillips, to guide the home team past Whitecaps FC 2 by a 2-1 margin in front of a standing room only crowd of 7,062.

The win improved Phoenix Rising to 5-5 on the season -- but Drogba thinks he'll be even better in future matches. After the game -- and before he was mobbed by autograph seekers -- he said he's still working his way back into game shape.

Here are the complete highlights from Saturday's game -- and if you'd like to see Drogba in action, you can buy tickets to Phoenix Rising's next home game here.