Assistant Referee Exits USA's Gold Cup Quarterfinal Against Canada After Being Blasted In The Face
- 10 months ago
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 'bloodie
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.
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.