Villareal’s Matteo Gabbia had to be stretchered off the field after being knocked out cold in their game against Rennes. Villareal were playing their final group match of the Europa League yesterday, December 15. During the game, the loaned centre-back attempted to head the ball just as his teammate, former Napoli player Raul Albiol, went to clear it. This led to Gabbia catching a knee on the temple. At the moment, it looked like Gabbia had lost consciousness but he soon regained vision by the time he was being carried off the field on a stretcher. The sight was a worrying one as the centre-back’s head had rocked back as he crashed on the field with his arms sinking over.
To everyone’s relief, Villareal later posted a status update on X showing that the defender was recovering well. He cleared all tests and had been reported to make a return to Spain with the rest of his squad. Gabbia even had a message for his fans in which he said, “Thank you to everyone for your messages! I am fine. Ah…first in the group”.
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Matteo Gabia’s accident diverted the attention of the football world from what was an epic football tie. Rennes entered the fixture, needing just one point to topple Villareal as group winners and go through to the final 16. The match started with Gerard Moreno putting the Spanish side ahead with a 36th-minute penalty. No more than a minute later, Lorenz Assignon found the equalising goal to level the scoreline. In the second half, Villareal were able to get ahead again thanks to a clean finish from Ilias Akhomach in minute 62. Soon, Ludovic Blas brought back one for the French side leaving the score at 2-2. Finally, it was Dani Parejo who scored the match-winner for Villarreal sealing their position in the Round of 16 in the Europa League as the Group F winners.
The match did witness some VAR drama as hosts were denied a last-gasp equalizer. It was revealed that the goal had been scraped off due to Enzo Le Fee’s touch on the ball once his free-kick had cannoned off the woodwork. According to the rule, when the ball is active right after the shot, the free-kick taker cannot touch it before any other player.
It has also been reported that Gabbia can be soon called back to Italy now that his owner-team AC Milan are short on hands. The team has encountered several injuries in the defence and is expected to start negotiations for the termination of Gabbia’s contract so that he can be brought back in January. The 24-year-old defender has signed a contract with the Rossoneri that runs until 2026. He rose through the rankings of the club’s academy before being loaned off to clubs like Lucchese and now Villarreal.
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