Barcelona star Ronald Araujo is taken to hospital after sickening clash of heads

Barcelona boss Xavi insists defender Ronald Araujo is ‘going to be fine’ as he stays overnight in hospital after sickening clash of heads with team-mate Gavi saw him worryingly collapse several seconds later

  • Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo suffered a nasty clash of heads on Tuesday
  • The 23-year-old clashed with his Barcelona team-mates Gavi going for a header
  • Araujo initially stayed on his feet before suddenly collapsing to the ground
  • Catalan club confirmed he was taken to hospital after suffering a concussion

Barcelona boss Xavi has said defender Ronaldo Araujo is going to be fine after he was taken to hospital by ambulance following a nasty clash of heads with Gavi.

The Catalan giants were leading 3-1 in their LaLiga game with Celta Vigo when the club’s Uruguayan centre back suffered a sickening clash of heads with his team-mate in the 62nd minute.

Araujo initially stayed on his feet, tracking back to defend before he suddenly dropped to the floor in a worrying incident for the player.

The game was suspended and an ambulance was then required on the Nou Camp pitch to take the 23-year-old to a nearby hospital.

Barcelona confirmed that he had suffered a concussion and was taken to hospital to carry out additional tests.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo suddenly collapsed following a clash of heads on Tuesday

Araujo (pictured) went up for a header with his own team-mate Gavi in the second half

Araujo (pictured) went up for a header with his own team-mate Gavi in the second half

The 23-year-old's team-mates check on him as the club's medical team rush to his aid

The 23-year-old’s team-mates check on him as the club’s medical team rush to his aid

Araujo is put onto a stretcher and placed into an ambulance where he is then taken to hospital

Araujo is put onto a stretcher and placed into an ambulance where he is then taken to hospital

Xavi then confirmed the same after the game, saying: ‘We can rest easy.

‘The doctors have told us he is conscious and that he will be spending the rest of the night in the hospital, although we were scared at first.

‘He’s fine. He has a concussion and he will stay in overnight but he is going to be fine.’

Barcelona went on to win the game 3-1, putting Xavi Hernandez’s side on course to secure a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia with a second-placed finish in LaLiga. 

With two games left and Real Madrid already crowned champions, Barcelona are second on 72 points. 

They are seven points clear of third-placed Sevilla, who have a game in hand and will host relegation-threatened Mallorca on Wednesday.

An ambulance arrives on the Nou Camp pitch shortly after Araujo's sickening clash of heads

An ambulance arrives on the Nou Camp pitch shortly after Araujo’s sickening clash of heads

Araujo's Barcelona team-mates worryingly watch as the defender is put in an ambulance

Araujo’s Barcelona team-mates worryingly watch as the defender is put in an ambulance

Memphis Depay opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a first-touch strike following a brilliant individual effort by Ousmane Dembele in the right wing.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extended Barca’s lead 10 minutes later with a close-range strike from a rebound and scored again four minutes after the break, following another fine play by Dembele.

Iago Aspas scored Celta’s consolation goal one minute later, after Marc-Andre ter Stegen mishandled a pass inside his own box and gifted the ball to his rival, who had an empty net at his disposal.



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