Liverpool suffer 2-1 defeat in pre-season friendly
Monday 22 July 2019 12:20, UK
Sevilla's Joris Gnagnon has apologised for an "heinous" tackle on Liverpool youngster Yasser Larouci during a pre-season friendly in Boston.
The 18-year-old was carried off the pitch on a stretcher in the 80th minute of the 2-1 defeat with Jurgen Klopp stating the youngster was "lucky" not to have suffered a more serious injury in Boston.
"It's much too early in the season to create headlines by saying what I think but it looks like he was lucky," Klopp told reporters at his post-match press conference.
"Of course, how it always is with these things we have to wait a little bit."
Gnagnon was immediately shown a red card for the kick to Larouci's leg while the scores were level at 1-1.
Asked for specifics on Larouci's injury, Klopp added: "He hit him full throttle and, in that moment, [if it was] a little bit different position where he hit him then it's done. He rolls... he is a sports boy so that was OK, nothing happened there.
"I don't know 100 per cent. It looks like he was lucky but I only spoke quickly to the doc and that's what he said, but we have to see."
After the match, Gnagnon apologised for the "heinous" tackle. Posting on Twitter, he wrote: "I would like to publicly apologise towards Liverpool, the family of the player and its supporters.
"It was a heinous act on my part. Whatever the reason, it's not what should be seen on a football pitch. All my prayers are with the player and his family."
Sevilla had earned a deserved first-half lead in front of a partisan Liverpool crowd when Nolito fired past debutant Andy Lonergan in the 38th minute.
Divock Origi hit back a minute before the break when he tapped home Nathaniel Phillips' header from a corner.
But Sevilla clinched the win in the final minute as Alejandro Pozo scored into an empty net.
