ARGENTINE footballer Brian Medina was rushed to hospital after a revolting tackle left him with a gaping hole in his leg.
The defender, 27, was playing in the Primera C quarter-final against Real Pilar on Saturday.
Brian Medina was rushed to hospital to have his leg stitched up after a horror tackle left him with his insides pouring out of a gaping holeCredit: Twitter
GRAPHIC WARNING: Scroll down to the see the full extent of the horror injury.
With the score poised at 0-0, Medina was on the end of a two-footed, studs-up lunge from Lucas Rios.
Medina carried on playing before collapsing to the turf only after realising his sock was soaked with blood.
The Ituzaingo centre-back immediately confronted the referee, who was ‘two metres away’ from the horror incident.
Yet the match official failed to show Rios a card of any colour and waved play.
Medina was raced to hospital, missing the rest of the game, and administered pain killers before the wound was sewed up.
Ituzaingo eventually won the fourth-tier quarter-final clash 6-5 on penalties, with Medina catching the final three spot-kicks after fashing back to the stadium.
But the defender will miss the rest of the season with the sickening injury and has already turned his attention to pre-season.
Looking back at the gruesome knock, Medina told Argentine outlet Ole: “You can see Rios goes with both feet and leaves one.
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Brian Medina was left with his insides slipping out of his leg after a sickening, studs-up tackle by Lucas RiosCredit: Twitter
“I do not know if it was bad intention, but what I do know is that he intends to leave the studs in…
“I felt the blow later… I went to pressure another player and when I got there I realised my shin was throbbing and my sock was full of blood.
“I threw myself and told the referee it was his fault. It was his responsibility because he was two metres from the play.”
Medina claimed Rios later contacted him to apologise – but the Ituzaingo star was unconvinced by his intentions.
The crocked star continued: “Rios contacted me at midnight and told me it was not intentional.
“But he does know what he’s doing. When a player goes in like that he knows what he is doing.
“I don’t know the intention, but it was wrong.
“It was the fault of the referee, who is very close. It was at least a yellow card.”
Medina was relieved, though, to make it back to the stadium for the riveting end to the penalty shootout having been stitched up by doctors.
The Argentine revealed: “I was rushed straight to hospital, where they treated me… quickly.
“As soon as they stitched me up, my family took me to the field.
“I got to see the last three penalties. At least I was able to celebrate and I didn’t miss that part.”
Medina has now revealed he will miss the rest of the Primera C season, but is pain-free thanks to the quick work of his doctors.
He added: “I spent the night calm, without pain. Thanks to painkillers I was able to take it.
“I will miss the rest of the tournament… we will have to think about the preseason.”
Medina is not the only eye-watering injury to come out of South America this season.
In October, Flamengo ace Gustavo Henrique was left with blood-stained shorts after a horror blow to his testicles.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk