Wojciech Szczesny, Juventus goalkeeper has revealed that he had to come off in the first half of his team’s 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon as he was struggling to breathe.
The Polish shot-stopper called for medical attention in the 41st minute after clutching his chest, and several of his teammates were noticeably troubled, waving to the sideline for the goalie to receive aid.
After more than two minutes of treatment, he walked off the field in tears, accompanied by the Juventus medical staff, and was given a standing ovation from the crowd.
The medical staff jumped right into conducting the appropriate tests. A little tachycardia had affected Szczesny.
The club has reported that he is doing well after an ECG at the stadium’s medical center revealed no signs of cardiac trouble.
The 32-year-old seemed upset when he was taken off and replaced by Mattia Perin, but he was able to explain the situation to the press later.
Wojciech Szczesny said in a statement; “I was struggling to breathe, I got a little anxious and scared. for this, I was in tears.”
Concerned fans should rest easy knowing that Szczesny appears to have made a full recovery after the events at the Allianz Stadium.
The goalie for Juventus kept them in the game until halftime, and 17 minutes before the end of the game, Federico Gatti scored the game-winning goal.
Since joining the Italian powerhouses in 2017, Wojciech Szczesny has been the starting goalkeeper for Juventus, and manager Massimiliano Allegri will be counting on him to start against Sassuolo on Sunday.
Szczesny left Arsenal in 2015 and joined Roma on loan, where he stayed for two years before moving on to Juventus for a sum of over £10 million.
For most of his career in Turin, he has started in goal for Juventus when the team needed a long-term replacement for Gianluigi Buffon.
The Old Lady survived a scare from Szczesny and overcame Sporting 1-0 to set up a decisive second leg in Portugal next week.
The focus will then shift to Thursday’s return leg in Lisbon, where Juventus will look to advance to the Europa League semifinals.
However, the winner of that matchup will play the winners of Manchester United and Sevilla, who tied 2-2 in the first leg at Old Trafford.
There have been recent health concerns concerning football players on the field, so Szczesny’s concern is not unique.
Sky Italy reports that no anomalies have been discovered despite further medical investigation.
Recall that Christian Eriksen collapsed during Euro 2020, and a defibrillator had to be implanted in him which enabled him to return to football after almost a year.
Sergio Aguero experienced breathing difficulties when playing for Barcelona in 2021, which led to the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia and his subsequent retirement from football.
What’s your take on this? Share your view with us in the comment section below:
