The Italian club Roma revealed the developments in the health condition of its defender Ivan Ndika, after he was taken to the hospital after he fell and caught his heart during the team’s match against Udinese in the Italian League championship, on Sunday evening.
The club issued a statement in which it reassured the fans about the condition of the Ivorian player, explaining, “After severe heart pain and unknown changes in the electrocardiogram that was performed in the stadium’s emergency room, Ivan Ndika was transferred to the hospital, and heart examinations were performed at levels one and two.” And it was negative for heart disease.
Roma’s statement continued: “In light of the latest tests conducted on Monday morning, the clinical picture reveals that the player suffered a chest injury with a slight pneumothorax in the left chest.”
The club confirmed that Ivan Ndika has been released from the hospital, where he is expected to undergo further medical examinations upon his return to Rome.
Ivan Ndika fell to the ground without anyone touching him in the 71st minute, when the match score indicated a 1-1 draw between the two teams, and he grabbed his chest while Roma players were carrying out an attack on Udinese’s goal.
After the ball reached the Udinese goalkeeper, the players noticed that Ndika fell in front of his team’s penalty area, as the referee and Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar rushed towards him, and they needed a few seconds to request the medical staff’s rapid intervention.
The Roma team’s medical staff rushed to Ivan Ndika, and decided to quickly take him outside and take him directly to the hospital, while the referee decided to stop the match at the 71st minute and not resume it, after consulting with the officials of the two teams.
It is noteworthy that Roberto Pereira gave Udinese the lead in the 23rd minute, before Romelu Lukaku equalized for Roma in the 64th minute, 7 minutes before Ivan Ndika was injured, which stopped the match.