Brighton & Hove Albion lost 2-4 to Brentford FC, suffering a setback in their European Cup campaign. However, the result quickly faded into the background.
Shortly before the end of the game, there was an unfortunate collision in which Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke and his opponent Yunus Konak collided heads. While the Turkish player was able to leave the pitch himself after a short break for treatment, 24-year-old van Hecke had to receive medical attention on the pitch for more than a quarter of an hour. It was only after around 20 minutes that the Dutchman was finally carried off the field on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, to the applause of the spectators.
Van Hecke initially tried to get up after the accident, but immediately lay back down on the turf. Before the Dutchman was taken out of the stadium, he was also fitted with a neck brace. The severity of his injury was not immediately known.
“Conscious but groggy”
After the game, however, at least some of the team gave a cautious all-clear. “JP is conscious but a little groggy. He’s a fighter and hopefully he’ll be fine and recover quickly. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and he can get through it,” said teammate Danny Welbeck. Brighton coach Hürzeler added: ‘We wish JP all the best and hope he’s back on the pitch soon.’
From a sporting perspective, the defeat is a major setback for Hürzeler’s team in the race for European places. In seventh place, they are now at least six points behind after the matchday. Depending on the outcome of Chelsea’s game at Fulham (Sunday, 3 p.m.), however, the gap could grow to seven or nine points.
