Amid searing temperatures, Nigeria international Samuel Kalu, 23, collapsed in the sixth minute of Bordeaux's Ligue 1 match against Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday evening
Monday 16 August 2021 06:21, UK
Bordeaux striker Samuel Kalu collapsed during their Ligue 1 match at Marseille on Sunday, before he was substituted after briefly returning to the pitch.
Kalu, 23, fell to the ground in the sixth minute as Dimitri Payet prepared to take a free-kick amid searing temperatures at the Stade Velodrome.
Players from both teams rushed to the Nigeria international and called for medical attention.
Kalu was able to get up and walk off the pitch with the help of his team-mates, holding an ice pack against his head.
He resumed playing several moments later but was then substituted in the 14th minute before the match finished in a 2-2 draw.
The cause of the incident is unclear, however it brought back memories of Christian Eriksen's collapse at Euro 2020 in June when the Denmark midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest.
Eriksen's life was saved when CPR was administered to him on the pitch and his heart was re-started with a defibrillator before he was taken to hospital, where he recovered after undergoing heart surgery.
