Tuesday night’s match between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool was likely a distressing sight for France manager Didier Deschamps. He witnessed Hugo Ekitiké being carried off on a stretcher in the first half, and L’Équipe reports that the Liverpool forward is not only set to miss this summer’s FIFA World Cup but could also be sidelined for up to nine months due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Ekitiké wasn’t the only French player to suffer an injury, as PSG secured their place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-0 victory (4-0 on aggregate) over Liverpool. Désiré Doué also had to leave the field after colliding with the advertising boards following a shove from Dominik Szoboszlai. Although Doué initially tried to continue playing, he was substituted in the 53rd minute, with Bradley Barcola re-entering the game.
Advertisement
After the match, Luis Enrique shared some encouraging news regarding Doué and Nuno Mendes, who was also taken off in the first half. “It’s nothing serious, but I’m not a doctor,” the PSG manager stated on Canal Plus. “In matches of this intensity, it’s normal to see players encounter issues. We’ll assess the extent of their injuries in due course.”