Goals from Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr helped Real Madrid register a much-required 2-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday night at Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos were in the driver’s seat for the majority of the game and appeared set to close the night with three points highlighting their outing.
The game, however, took an ugly turn at the very end.
Playing in extra-time, Dani Carvajal got into an unfortunate collision with Villarreal star Yeremy Pino, extending his knee with full force to win the ball against the Spaniard.
Unfortunately, however, the Euro-winning defender over-extended his knee as part of the action and immediately went down in excruciating pain.
The player was seen writhing on the field in serious pain and was inconsolable.
He made an effort to get back onto his feet but could barely bear any weight on his leg, immediately going back to the ground and eventually leaving on a stretcher.
Afterward, Carvajal was spotted in tears on the ground.
Concern for Real Madrid
Carvajal’s injury appeared serious in every sense of the word and as is the norm with knee injuries, he may well face a few months on the sidelines.
Carlo Ancelotti and co. are already without several key members this season and will hope that the right-back can return to action swiftly with a miraculous recovery.
On a more pragmatic note, however, the primary concern is whether the player has damaged his cruciate ligament or patellar tendon, both of which will require surgery.
Tests carried out tomorrow will confirm the prognosis.
Needless to say, the spotlight now falls on Lucas Vazquez who must take up a more important role in Ancelotti’s plans if Carvajal has indeed suffered a grievous injury.