ATLANTA: Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany said he was furious after Jamal Musiala sustained a horrific injury during the first half of their Club World Cup quarter-final defeat by Paris St Germain in Atlanta on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Germany international was injured in added time before the break following a collision in PSG’s penalty area.
As Musiala challenged defender William Pacho for the ball, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inadvertently rolled over Musiala’s left ankle, twisting it at an alarming angle and leaving him lying in agony on the pitch.
“I’ve rarely been so angry at halftime, not against my players. There’s many things in life that are important, much more important than this. But in the end, for these guys it’s their life,” Kompany told reporters after the 2-0 loss.
“And someone like Jamal lives for this and he came back from a setback. And then it happens in the way it happens and you feel powerless…
“When I’m sat here next to you now, the thing that gets my blood still boiling at the moment, it’s not the result. I understand this is football. But it’s the fact that it happened to someone who, one, enjoys the game so much but also very important for us.”
Bayern’s medical team rushed on to the pitch as Donnarumma, visibly shaken, dropped to the ground with his hands on his head in disbelief at the severity of the injury.
Players from both teams formed a circle around Musiala who was carried off the field on a stretcher. The German daily Bild reported he could be sidelined for up to five months.
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Bayern goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer said Donnarumma’s dive was “risky” and that he had spoken to his Italian counterpart after the incident.
“You just accept that your opponent might get injured. It could even be a teammate,” he added.
“So I went over to him and said: ‘Don’t you want – because it was half-time anyway – don’t you want to go over there? Jamal is lying there, he’ll probably stay in the hospital, he has a serious injury, and I think it’s only right to go over there out of respect and wish him well and just say a little sorry.’
“After that, he went over to Jamal… Fairness is always important, and I would have reacted differently.”
After the match, Donnarumma posted on Instagram: “All my prayers and well wishes are with you Jamal.”
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