Tottenham duo Antonin Kinski and Cristian Romero collided violently during the side’s match against Sunderland.
Trailing 1-0 to Sunderland thanks to Nordi Mokele’s opener, the visitors were already under pressure.
Moments later, Sunderland’s Bryan Robey appeared to nudge Romero, sending him barreling into Kinský as the pair raced back to collect the ball.
Sunderland’s Noah Sadki immediately signalled for the medical team.
After lengthy treatment on the pitch, an emotional Romero left the field in tears.
Brandon Austin was readied as a potential replacement for Kinský, with concerns over the Czech goalkeeper’s condition.
Kinski, however, passed a head injury assessment and returned wearing a bandage.
For Romero, it was a harrowing flashback: he had already been substituted against Atlético Madrid last month amid concussion concerns.
Supporters offered words of encouragement as the clearly distraught defender departed.
One supporter wrote on X: “His team are already in the relegation zone, and now he’s suffered a nasty injury – you can’t help but feel sorry for him.”
Another supporter added: “Yeah, I wasn’t prepared to see Romero crying… it broke me.”
That incident came after Tottenham had been awarded a penalty, only for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to overturn the decision.
Kolo Muani had appeared to be brought down inside the box by Omar Alderte and Luke O’Neill.
After consulting the monitor, referee Rob Jones reversed his initial call.
Mokeli’s 61st-minute strike, heavily deflected, proved decisive as Sunderland secured a 1-0 victory.
The result left Spurs 18th with 30 points, firmly in the relegation zone.
The defeat leaves Spurs 18th on 30 points, in real danger of relegation.
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