Taiwo Awoniyi Out of Coma After Abdominal Injury

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has woken from an induced coma after he underwent surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury. The Nigerian was brought on as a late substitute when his side faced Leicester City in the Premier League last Sunday, but after colliding with the post in the closing minutes, the forward suffered a ruptured intestine. Despite the serious nature of the injury and footage showing the 27-year-old in discomfort, he played on for the remainder of the match, though he was later taken to hospital. Awoniyi had the first part of the surgery on Monday and spent Tuesday in an induced coma, before the second stage of the operation was completed on Wednesday. The striker was subsequently woken from the induced coma in the early evening after the second stage of the surgery, and Nottingham Forest will reportedly look to establish the key details around why Awoniyi was allowed back on to the field of play. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was criticised for coming onto the pitch against Leicester following the full-time whistle, but he later clarified that he only did so to express concern to manager Nuno Espirito Santo over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled. The injury that Awoniyi suffered is extremely serious, with mortality rates even in the event of surgery standing at 9%, so it is perhaps understandable that Marinakis was deeply concerned. Officials have faced criticism for allowing the passage of play that led up to Awoniyi’s injury to occur given Anthony Elanga was in a clear offside position in the buildup. The rules regarding offsides state that when a clear goalscoring opportunity is likely, assistant referees must delay raising their flag until the phase of play has concluded. While the rule would in principle prevent players from missing out on golden chances in the final third, many pundits have suggested that allowing such passages of play to develop and relying on the intervention of VAR could lead to serious injury. Perhaps the serious nature of Awoniyi’s injury will cause football’s lawmakers to reconsider their stance on when officials should flag for offside.

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Taiwo Awoniyi Set To Be Brought Out of Induced Coma After Surgery

Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi is expected to be brought out of an induced coma on Wednesday after urgent surgery on a serious abdominal injury sustained in Sunday’s match against Leicester. The Nigeria striker was injured after colliding with a post during the 2-2 draw at the City Ground, after which the Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, stormed on to the pitch. Forest anticipate Awoniyi will make a full recovery, though it remains unclear when he will be discharged from hospital. He underwent surgery on Monday. It was a medical decision to place Awoniyi into an induced coma to stabilise his condition and for the 27-year-old’s own comfort. Awoniyi returned to the pitch on Sunday after lengthy treatment after the incident in the 88th minute. Awoniyi clattered against a post in an attempt to meet Anthony Elanga’s cross. Elanga was in an offside position when he collected the ball but the assistant referee did not raise their flag until after Awoniyi’s collision, in line with International Football Association Board (Ifab) guidance. In a statement on Tuesday, Forest said Marinakis’s decision to go on the pitch stemmed from his frustration at the incident, which left Forest, who had used all of their permitted substitutes, with 10 men for the closing stages. A draw dented their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. “His [Marinakis’s] deep frustration at seeing our player lying on the ground in severe pain – something no one with genuine care could ignore – triggered him to go on the pitch,” it read. “He would do the same if such an unfortunate event were ever to reoccur.” Forest also disputed suggestions that Marinakis had a confrontation with the head coach, Nuno Espírito Santo, after entering the pitch. “There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue,” the statement said.

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Anthony Joshua to Undergo Surgery Later This Month

Anthony Joshua has revealed he is set to undergo surgery in a bit to solve an ongoing issue that has delayed his return to the ring. The Brit has been out of action since he lost against Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024, with his future up in the air on the back of the devastating knockout defeat. Fans have been curious as to what his next move is, with no announcements made despite reports he could face long-time rival Tyson Fury as soon as this year. In March, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed his man was ‘not ready to start camp’ and needed eight more weeks to build up his fitness on the back of a setback on an injury. Joshua had, though, been in training at the time, but it appears he has now suffered yet another setback as he now prepares to go under the knife to finally solve the issue that has been bothering him for a number of months. It remains possible that the former world champion will fight this year, but, speaking to DAZN on Saturday night, he explained why he won’t be in the ring any time soon. ‘When do you want me back, people?’ Joshua asked in the interview. ‘I’m trying to get my body right. I have got to actually have a little surgery on my elbow. ‘A small surgery sometime in May. I’m finalising the details. ‘That will see me out of the gym for maybe six to eight weeks, and then when I’m healed, I will be back.’ Reports of a bout against Fury continue to gather pace, with Fury’s former promoter Frank Warren telling Mail Sport this week: ‘It’ll be about whether Tyson wants to do it, and whether AJ wants to do it. AJ is still active and wants the fight—it’s the one that never happened. Everybody wants to see it.’ Warren had previously suggested a return for a ‘generational ‘Battle of Britain’ fight against Joshua could be on the cards. The two heavyweight stars have regularly traded verbals and been in discussions before, but nothing serious has ever materialised. Joshua, meanwhile, was keen to stay away from the subject when speaking to Mail Sport this week. ‘We’ll save that conversation for another time,’ he joked. ‘I think what we’ll do for the viewers at home is go back over the years and find the same answer for the same question. Same same, nothing changed.’

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Antonio Rudiger Undergoes Successful Surgery

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has successfully underwent surgery on his knee, the club announced on Tuesday morning. He is set to miss up to two months for Real Madrid, meaning he will not be there for the remainder of LaLiga games. He could return for the Club World Cup, according to COPE. The club’s medical report read: “Our player Antonio Rüdiger underwent successful surgery today for a partial tear of the external meniscus in his left leg. The operation was performed by Dr. Manuel Leyes under the supervision of the Real Madrid Medical Services. Rüdiger will begin recovery soon.” Real Madrid now only have three available centre-backs to end the season with. Raul Asencio, David Alaba and Jesus Vallejo, if you want to count him, will be the only three defenders who will play. Castilla defender Jacobo Ramon may get a few opportunities to shine as well. Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni could also have to go back to being a centre-back, even though he has been great at the pivot.

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