Assistant referee is forced to exit USA’s Gold Cup quarterfinal against Canada after being blasted in the face from point-blank range with the ball and left ‘bloodied’
An assistant referee had to exit the CONCACAAF Gold Cup quarterfinal between the US and Canada after bleeding from the head, following a blast to the face during the match’s opening minutes.
The linesman, Christian Espinosa, received a point-blank ball to the face within the first 10 minutes of Sunday’s game and required immediate medical attention after Canada’s left back, Kamal Miller, kicked the ball out of bands from the pitch’s right side, following a tussle for possession with U.S. midfielder, Gianluca Busio.
The clearance was so powerful that Espinosa got down to his knees before covering his face in front of cameras, as he seemed to be in pain and bleeding from his head, according to Marca.
Marco Ortiz — the match’s main official — was forced to suspend game play so that Espinosa could be medically treated. The amount of game time that it took to treat the linesman – 11 minutes – was added on as extra time at the end of the first half.
At this moment, it remains unclear if the assistant referee fractured anything, though the fact that he was bleeding could hint at a broken nose. It’s also possible that Espinosa suffered a concussion from the blast.
Assistant referee Christian Espinosa goes down after being hit by the ball during USA-Canada
Espinosa seemed to be bleeding from his head, as fears grew that he suffered a concussion
‘Good news, he’s gonna be okay!,’ later shared Fox Sports’ sideline reporter Jenny Taft.
Footage from the game showed medics cutting the Espinosa’s shirt open so that they could take a look at other possible injuries while taking off the mic attached to his match kit, which is usually always sponsored by FIFA.
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Espinosa was then handed a towel to cover his face. Blood was seen on the white cloth as he exited the high stakes matchup between both North American countries.
The winner of Sunday’s game will go on to play Panama in the semifinals on July 12.
Espinosa was escorted off the pitch after taking a shot to the face from point-blank range
Panama beat Qatar 4-0 in its quarterfinals matchup to be the only Central American team left in the tournament.
The other semifinal includes Jamaica taking on Mexico, also on July 12.
The last two Gold Cup finals have included both El Tri and the US with both teams winning one a piece.
The Star and Stripes remain the tournament’ reigning champions after defeating Mexico 1-0 in 2021. Mexico beat the US 1-0 in Chicago in 2019, which was the last time that El Tri won CONCACAAF’s ultimate prize.
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