Uruguayan football club Nacional's defender Juan Izquierdo collapsed on the pitch and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment during the second leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16 encounter against Sao Paulo at Brazil's Morumbi Stadium on Thursday. The incident took place in the 84th minute of the match after Izquierdo replaced Sebastian Coates for Nacional at half-time. The footballer fell to the ground unconscious as his teammates rushed towards him to stop him from falling. The game was halted immediately and player from both teams called for quick medical assistance for the footballer.
Izquierdo, who was still unconscious, was taken off the pitch in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital for treatment. “We wish a speedy recovery to Nacional player Juan Izquierdo. May all be well as soon as possible,” Sao Paulo posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
The match resumed after the incident and Sao Paulo emerged victorious 2-0 thanks to goals from Damian Bobadilla and Jonathan Calleri. No goals were scored in the first leg.
Sau Paulo will now face Botafogo in an all-Brazilian quarter-final at the Copa Libertadores.
The footballer was stable after he was taken the hospital and Nacional took to social media to provide an update. Their social media post stated that Izquierdo suffered an irregular heartbeat during the match and he was placed in the Intensive Care Unit at the Albert Einstein Hospital.
"Juan Izquierdo suffered an irregular heartbeat during the match against Sao Paulo," Nacional shared on social media platform X. "He is being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Albert Einstein Hospital, currently stable and under observation."