Villarreal’s Matteo Gabbia suffered a severe head injury and was swiftly taken to the hospital following an unexpected collision with a teammate during their match against Rennes with the video of him unconcious now viral
The distressing incident cast a shadow over the thrilling 3-2 Europa League victory for the Spanish group leaders.
Matteo Gabbia gets knocked out after head injury, video goes viral
😳 Tremendo golpe que se ha llevado Matteo Gabbia en el Rennes – Villarreal.
El futbolista italiano perdió el conocimiento y fue trasladado al hospital.
¡Mucha fuerza 💪! pic.twitter.com/wW1UFVbKPl
— Fútbol Italiano 🇮🇹 (@FT_Italiano) December 14, 2023
Forza,forza Matteo #Gabbia vecchio cuore
🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/CBK7QZnPgt— Milan memories (@MemoriesMilan) December 14, 2023
Gabbia’s head collided with the knee of Villarreal captain Raul Albiol as he stooped to clear the ball, causing him to collapse to the ground with his arms covering his head.
The 24-year-old defender was subsequently stretchered off and transported to a French hospital for evaluation, diverging from the team’s return to Spain.
Villarreal had borrowed Gabbia from AC Milan for the season, and there were reports suggesting negotiations for an early end to the loan due to a growing injury list at the Serie A club.
Despite the unfortunate turn of events for Gabbia, the dramatic match featured a controversial conclusion. Rennes needed a point to surpass Villarreal and advance to the last 16 as group leaders.
Villarreal vs Rennes Game
The VAR decision in the dying moments denied the hosts a last-gasp equalizer, sparking debates among viewers. Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach had secured leads in each half, but goals from Lorenz Assignon and Ludovic Blas leveled the score.
Dani Parejo then restored the lead for the Spaniards at 3-2 in the 80th minute. Rennes believed they had secured the crucial point when Assignon scored from a rebound in stoppage time, only for VAR to rule it out, leaving spectators and commentators bewildered.
The disallowed goal was a result of Enzo Le Fee touching the ball first after his free-kick rebounded off the bar, violating the rule that prohibits the free-kick taker from touching the ball again before another player does once the ball is in play.
The bizarre turn of events dashed Rennes’ hopes and elevated Villarreal to victory. In the aftermath, the Rennes players celebrated prematurely, fans erupted in excitement, only to be met with disappointment as the 101st-minute equalizer was disallowed.
Villarreal secured the win with goals from Moreno, Akhomach, and Parejo, advancing to the knockout round play-off draw. The match concluded with Villarreal playing with 10 men after Gabbia’s injury and all substitutions exhausted.
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