The Ivorian Evan Ndicka, defender of Roma, collapsed this Sunday during the duel between Udinese and Roma and the match was suspended after several minutes of deliberation between the teams.
In the 71st minute of the match, the defender put his hand on his chest and set off all the alarms at the BlueEnergy Stadium in Udine (north) where the match was taking place.
Quickly, both the referee and Daniele De Rossi, Roma coach, called emergency medical assistance, who also came in with the defibrillator.
After two minutes and without the need to resuscitate the player, the medical team took Ndicka away on a stretcher and conscious. It was at that moment when De Rossi refused to continue the match without checking the condition of his center-back himself. He went inside the locker room to check Ndicka's condition with the permission of the referee, who gave him a 2-minute permit with the game stopped. "It's okay," the coach said when he returned to the field, reassuring his players.
However, De Rossi, visibly affected and worried, asked the referee and the rival coach, Daniele Cioffi, to suspend the match due to the complexity of the situation.
The 'giallorosso' coach gathered his players and Roma showed their concern and their desire not to continue the duel. De Rossi communicated this to the Udinese coach and captain, the Argentine Roberto Pereyra, and the referee finished the game. The Roma captains approached the stands where their fans were to explain what happened.
The entire Roma squad went on the team bus to the hospital in Udine (north) where Ivorian Evan Ndicka was admitted, although his life is not in danger, according to local media.
The teammates of the young 24-year-old defender and the 'Loba' coaching staff went to the Santa Maria della Misericordia hospital where the player is to undergo medical checks. Ndicka left the match conscious and, after an initial check at the stadium, was rushed to hospital.
"The player is conscious and was taken to the hospital to be examined. Come on Evan, we are all with you!" Roma reported on their 'X' account. The Italian media attributes the episode to a heart attack, although they assure that the player's life is not in danger. At no time did the player have to be resuscitated.
There are just over 10 minutes left in the game that will have to be made up at another time, with a 1-1 tie on the scoreboard, after goals from Pereyra and Belgian Romelu Lukaku, who scored the 300th goal of his career.
