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A top-flight match in Austria was halted when a goalkeeper suffered a horrific leg injury while challenging for the ball. The incident took place during the early-season clash between local rivals Sturm Graz and Grazer AK over the weekend. The match was goalless in the 21st minute when Strum Graz goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov found himself on the receiving end of a heavy tackle in his own penalty area.
Khudyakov had taken a heavy touch in his attempt to control the ball, with Grazer right-back Jacob Italiano taking the opportunity to try and nick it away.
However, he got his bearings horribly wrong and ended up catching the leg of his opponent, who immediately fell down and started screaming in agony.
It quickly became clear that Khudyakov had suffered a broken leg, with his right foot visibly pointing in the wrong direction.
Team-mate Arjan Melic was first on the scene and he frantically waved for medical attention after seeing the full nature of the injury for himself.
Several players from both teams then formed a circle around Khudyakov to shield his pain from the crowd and TV cameras. Italiano, meanwhile, became visibly emotional after realising the damage he had caused.
Khudyakov was treated on the pitch for around seven minutes before he was carried off on a stretcher. Sturm Graz went on to secure a 6-1 victory in his absence.
Speaking after the final whistle, manager Fabio Ingolitsch said: "He’s undergoing surgery right now. It was a clean lower-leg fracture.
"They did everything they could on the field to at least prevent the blood vessels from dying off because it’s a very, very serious injury."
Italiano, who avoided punishment for his role in the incident, said: "It was a terrible situation. I wish him a speedy recovery and will definitely send him get-well wishes."
Sturm Graz president Christian Jauk was left enraged by the decision not to punish Italiano and pointed his finger at the referee in an explosive post-match interview.
He fumed: "We need to question a lot of things. We need to question a lot of things in Austrian soccer. It was an aggressive match from the start and the referee did nothing about it. We need the quality somewhere to ensure that something like this can’t happen."
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