Was hit badly in the head
The Eredivisie game between RKC Waalwijk and Ajax Amsterdam was canceled on Saturday evening in the 84th minute due to a serious head hit sustained by goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen (28). Ex-Leipzig player Brian Brobbey (21) accidentally hit Vaessen in the head as he tried to make it 4-2 for Ajax as he fell out of his goal – the keeper collapsed and remained motionless.
The referee immediately stopped the game and paramedics rushed to take care of Vaessen behind the curtains. They also performed CPR as per safety protocol because Vaessen was unresponsive. Shortly afterwards, the goalkeeper regained consciousness, was carried off the pitch on a stretcher and taken to hospital a short time later.
“He was responsive again but couldn’t remember what had happened. I would like to pay a big compliment to the doctors. They immediately revived him because he was unresponsive. This is the medical protocol. Luckily,” said RKC managing director Frank van Mosselveld. The fact that Vaessen was unconscious had nothing to do with his heart: “It had to do with the blow he received on the side of the head. This caused him to faint.”
On Sunday, the RKC announced that Vaessen had had a good night: “We hope to see him back at the club soon. It is now important for Etienne that he can recover in peace in the coming hours and days. “We would therefore like to ask you to give him and his family the time and peace to do so. On behalf of all members of the RKC Waalwijk, we wish Etienne and everyone around him a lot of strength.”
With the score at 3-2 for Ajax, the game was not restarted after consultation with both teams. “This is about more than just football. We pray that you are well, Etienne,” Ajax wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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