Winger Ilias Akhomach was forced to leave the field in tears after a worrying injury to his right knee. During the first half, in the 41st minute, the Villarreal player was attempting a dribble against Antonio Blanco when he collapsed, his knee getting caught in the grass. The pain was immediate, with Akhomach holding his leg, clearly in distress.
The medical teams quickly intervened and immediately requested a stretcher to carry him off the field. The player was warmly applauded by the crowd, while his teammates and the Alavés players, concerned, inquired about his condition. In the absence of a precise medical assessment, everything points to it possibly being a serious knee injury.
This setback comes just after Ilias had opened the scoring for Villarreal, scoring a superb goal three minutes before his injury.