Pepe weeps Porto team-mate Nanu is knocked unconscious
Former Real Madrid defender Pepe erupted into tears after seeing his Porto team-mate Nanu knocked unconscious during their game against Belenenses.
The 26-year-old was stretchered off the pitch and rushed to hospital after colliding with the opposition goalkeeper, Stanislav Kritsyuk.
However, Pepe – who was seen crying into his shirt – revealed after the game that his team-mate had regained consciousness and was ‘doing well’.
Nanu challenged for a high ball in the box as Porto pushed for a late winner in the Liga NOS fixture on Thursday night.
However, the right-back was met by Kritsyuk in the air and dropped to the floor, landing on the right side of his head.
The sickening impact of the collision caused immediate concern for both sets of players as they frantically called for medical assistance.
The game was stopped for more than ten minutes as an ambulance made its way onto the pitch to attend to the defender.
Nanu – who remained unconscious on the ground – was fitted with a neck brace and stretched off the pitch.
The Guinea-Bissau international was then transported to the Sao Francisco Xavier Hospital by ambulance for further treatment.
Pepe did, however, allay concerns over a potentially life-threatening neck injury by saying Nanu was ‘doing well.’
He said: ‘I wish our team-mate Nanu a speedy recovery. The doctors in the ambulance told me that he was doing well, that he was already conscious.’
While a club statement from Porto read: ‘Nanu had a cerebral concussion and spinal cord injury with loss of knowledge.
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‘At this moment he is stable, conscious and is already oriented in time and space.’
Porto’s fixture against Beleneses was Nanu’s eighth league appearance, having joined the club from Maritimo last year.
The Guinea-Bissau international has excelled this term, cementing a place in Sergio Conceicao’s first-team.