The top game in Ligue 1 was overshadowed by a brutal scene on Wednesday evening. Gianluigi Donnarumma suffered a facial trauma from a kick from Monaco’s Wilfried Singo. The keeper’s teammates reacted with outrage.
Those hoping for more excitement at the top of Ligue 1 were not disappointed on Wednesday evening – except for the result. Six goals were scored between Paris St. Germain and AS Monaco, which was leading at one point and was about to let the capital city’s lead melt down to four points. In addition, there was a controversial penalty scene in injury time and a red card for Monaco coach Adi Hütter.
And yet it was another action that heated up the atmosphere afterwards.
In the 18th minute – with the score at 0-0 – Monaco’s full-back Wilfried Singo had broken through on the right, but only touched the ball lightly just before the on-rushing Donnarumma and then hit the PSG keeper full in the face with his studs as he tried to jump over him.
The goalkeeper immediately began bleeding profusely and had to be replaced after minutes of treatment. That same evening, a picture of the goalkeeper with a badly battered face and several gaping wounds on his cheek went viral on social media.
On Thursday, PSG then announced the diagnosis of the Italian keeper: Donnarumma has also suffered facial trauma in addition to the visible wounds. Further examinations are to follow on Friday, but Donnarumma will definitely have to take a few days off. His appearance in the tricky cup game in Lens on Sunday (9 p.m.) is therefore questionable.
Singo had already been yellow
Despite the important 4-2 victory in Monaco, a good deal of bitterness was therefore added to the voices of Donnarumma’s teammates – especially towards Singo and referee Francois Letexier. The latter had not sanctioned Singo’s nasty – albeit unintentional – kick and had not been alerted to it by the VAR. Particularly delicate: Singo had already seen the yellow card five minutes earlier, but was still allowed to continue playing after the kick.
“We all saw his face… I don’t know how that’s not a red card,” said striker Goncalo Ramos, who put PSG on the road to victory with his goal that made it 3-2. “The referees’ job is to protect us. They told us before the season that they would protect us. But tonight they didn’t protect Donnarumma.” Captain Marquinhos demanded: “If the VAR already exists, it has to tell the referee.”
Letexier had already refereed the first top match of the season between PSG and Olympique Marseille and had also come under fire there after he gave Marseille player Amine Harit a controversial red card in the middle of the first half, which clearly put PSG on the road to victory.
Singo, meanwhile, has apologized for the kick. “My action was obviously not intentional, but I saw later that he had a serious injury to his face,” the Ivorian international wrote on his Instagram story. “I wish you a speedy recovery.” Since Letexier ruled it a foul, he should avoid a retrospective ban.
