Ajax league match abandoned after RKC goalkeeper knocked out
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AMSTERDAM, (Reuters) – Ajax Amsterdam’s Dutch league away game against RKC Waalwijk was abandoned in the 84th minute on Saturday after RKC goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen was knocked out in a clash with an opposing player.
Vaessen went down after a collision with Ajax forward Brian Brobbey, causing panicked reactions from his team mates as they frantically called for medical help.
Moment when Etienne Vaessen collided with Brian Brobbey of Ajax. Hope he pulls through pic.twitter.com/CRE3P4jEvI
Screens were put up around the goalkeeper to shield him from the public eye and players from both sides watched with tears in their eyes as a defibrillator was rushed on to the field.
Vaessen lay motionless on the field for minutes before he was carried away on a stretcher. Both teams went inside and after deliberations the game was called off.
Beste RKC'ers,
Wij zijn enorm geschrokken door het incident op het veld met onze keeper Etienne Vaessen. We kunnen mededelen dat hij, na uitgebreid medisch onderzoek, bij kennis is en voor nader onderzoek naar het ziekenhuis is vervoerd.
“Etienne was knocked out for a while,” RKC director Frank van Mosselveld told broadcaster NOS about an hour after the incident.
“Our medical staff started reanimation straightaway but it looks like it wasn’t a problem with his heart. He was conscious again when he left the field but he did not know where he was.”
Dutch newspaper Telegraaf said Vaessen, 28, had been taken to hospital.
Ajax were leading the game 3-2 when play was stopped.
Players and personnel surround RKC Waalwijk goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen after his injury during the Dutch Eredivisie match between RKC Waalwijk and Ajax Amsterdam, in Waalwijk, the Netherlands, 30 September 2023. EPA-EFE/OLAF KRAAK
