Players were left in tears as an A-League Men’s star had his leg snapped in an unfortunate collision – with the match paused for nearly half an hour while he was treated on the pitch.
36-year-old Adelaide veteran Juande Padros Lopez – commonly known as Juande – had come off the bench in the second half for a handful of minutes against Melbourne City before the horror injury.
Juande and a City rival had both kicked at the ball, with their legs slamming into each other – and appearing to immediately snap Juande’s right shin. He collapsed to the floor in agony, with the match quickly paused.
“I was literally metres away from where it happened and I could hear the crack, it was an awful sound,” sideline commentator Michael Zappone told Paramount+.
“The players knew immediately what had happened. The Melbourne City players running over to the sideline to call for an ambulance.
“He will be taken straight to hospital. That sound is something you won’t forget.
“Everyone in shock here.”
It took around 13 minutes for an ambulance to arrive to AAMI Park, with teammates in tears as doctors treated the stricken player.
“I don’t even want to look at that. That is horrible,” Paramount+ commentator Simon Hill said.
The match eventually resumed nearly half an hour later, with Melbourne City earning a late penalty to seal a 3-3 draw after a wild start to the match saw Adelaide score inside the first minute before leading 3-1 after just 16 minutes.
“Our hearts are with Juande at the moment. He’s a really important person for out changeroom, so we’re really disappointed to see him with this injury,” United’s captain Craig Goodwin said after the match.
Juande had previously played three seasons in Spain’s top flight and competed in the UEFA Champions League. He spent two seasons at Perth Glory from 2018 before a brief stint in India, before returning down under to Adelaide.
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