Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny suffered a heart attack and was forced to leave the field immediately during Juventus’ match against Sporting.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny left the field in tears at the end of the first half between Juventus and Sporting. The Polish goalkeeper signaled a substitute for the bench and hugged his chest.
Teammates Arkadiusz Milik and Manuel Locatelli also quickly roused the bench to call for support. Goalkeeper Szczesny then cried on his way out of the Allianz pitch. He was comforted by players from both teams as he walked off the pitch. Mattia Perin was substituted and was the hero of Juventus with two important saves late in the game.
Szczesny was substituted because of an abnormally fast heart rate. The medical team checked the field but found nothing dangerous. There will be more tests to understand what happens in the match. Juventus reassured fans with a post-match announcement: “After initial tests, Tek is fine.”
Szczesny also spoke after the game and said he was feeling better.
“I’m fine. I was a little nervous, but we did all the tests and everything was fine. I was scared. This has never happened to me before. I couldn’t breathe and it made me very nervous.”
Szczesny then joked about his exit situation and suggested that Juventus’ reserve goalkeepers were all ready to shine when they came on.
“The truth is I saw Perin in very good shape on the training ground. I was tired and I knew he was going to make a double save in the 94th minute. They shot him straight anyway! “I congratulate him. Perin is a kind person, we get along well. It’s too bad that Carlo (Pinsoglio) isn’t on the pitch, maybe he’ll make a save hat-trick.”