LIVERPOOL, England — Hugo Ekitike had to leave the field due to an injury during the first half of Liverpool‘s Champions League quarterfinal defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
The French striker appeared to injure his right ankle after slipping in the 27th minute of the second leg at Anfield.
After medical staff assessed him, it became evident he could not continue, and he was carried off on a stretcher, with Mohamed Salah stepping in to replace him.
Salah started this match on the bench, similar to his role in the first leg last week under Arne Slot’s management.
Liverpool was unable to recover from their 2-0 defeat in the first leg in Paris last week, conceding two late goals to Ousmane Dembélé, resulting in PSG advancing to the semifinals with a 4-0 aggregate score.
Ekitike’s injury raises concerns for France ahead of the upcoming World Cup and could hinder Liverpool’s aspirations for Champions League qualification.
This season, Ekitike has been a standout player for Liverpool, contributing 19 goals for both club and country. He scored for France in their 2-1 victory over Brazil last month.
PSG’s Nuno Mendes also left the match shortly before halftime due to an unspecified issue, but he was able to leave the field without assistance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.