BAYER LEVERKUSEN star Exequiel Palacios is set for a long injury layoff, after fracturing his spine in Argentina’s fiery 1-1 draw with Paraguay.
The midfielder was winning just his fifth cap for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
Palacios, 22, was left writhing in agony
The midfielder was caught by a flying knee
But he could have a long wait for cap No6, after being on the end of a shocking flying knee challenge from Angel Romero.
He was stretchered off and taken to a nearby hospital.
Argentina were trailing 1-0 at the time of the challenge, with the aforementioned Romero having given Los Guaranies the lead from the spot.
Lionel Messi and Co rallied in Palacios’ absence, with Nicolas Gonzalez equalising four minutes before the interval.
The Barcelona star then thought he’d found a winner in the second half, only to be left furious when the goal was chalked off following a lengthy VAR check.
An Argentine FA statement read after the game: “[Palacios] suffered direct trauma to the left lumbar area, verifying a fracture of the transverse processes of the lumbar spine.”
And boss Scaloni, 42, added: “We’ve lost a player for several days or months.
“I don’t know if there was bad intention or not, but there was a blow and VAR didn’t intervene.
Argentina were furious that Romero was not sent offCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“I send Exequiel a big hug. I hope he recovers soon. The group is concerned [for him].”
The result sees Argentina remain top of the South American qualifying table after three matches, with seven points from three games.
Paraguay, meanwhile, are fourth with five points.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
