- Szczesny asked to be replaced
- Goalkeeper suffering chest discomfort
- Visibly upset as he left the pitch
WHAT HAPPENED? The goalkeeper left the pitch in tears at the end of the first half of the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP on Thursday. Szczesny was seen signalling to come off and touching his chest. Team-mates Arkadiusz Milik and Manuel Locatelli also called to the bench for assistance. The Poland international then walked off the pitch in tears at the Allianz Stadium and was consoled by both sets of players as he departed. Mattia Perin replaced Szczesny in the Juventus goal.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Szczesny was substituted because he noticed a tachycardia. The goalkeeper was reassured after an initial medical check at the ground but will now undergo further tests on Friday to try and understand what happened during the match. Juventus offered an update during the match to reassure fans. "After an initial check, Tek is doing well," the club posted on Twitter.
WHAT THEY SAID: The goalkeeper spoke out after the match and confirmed he was feeling better in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.
"I am fine, I was a little anxious, but we did all the tests and everything is fine," he said. "I was scared, it had never happened to me before, I was struggling to breathe and it really worried me."
Szczesny then joked about the situation with his replacement Perin.
"The truth is, I saw Mattia in great shape in training, I felt tired and knew he would have a great double save at the 94th," he laughed. "Nah, they fired it straight at him! I congratulated him, he is also a guy with a heart of gold, we get along well. It’s a shame Carlo [Pinsoglio] didn’t come on, he would’ve had a hat-trick of great saves today. Mattia is better at speaking, I am just handsome."
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Juventus head to Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday before facing Sporting in Portugal for the second leg of their quarter-final clash in a week's time.