Eight minutes into Crystal Palace’s 3-1 victory over Millwall in the FA Cup round of 16, striker Jean-Philippe Mateta had to be withdrawn from the match and eventually taken to the hospital following a reckless challenge from Millwall keeper Liam Roberts. The Millwall keeper was sent off with a red card as his high challenge saw his foot make contact with the side of Mateta’s head outside of the box. It’s a challenge more akin to karate than soccer which made the sending off a simple decision following a VAR review.
“He’s conscious and he’s in hospital, but his ear obviously looks terrible. [It’s a] very serious injury, so of course we hope all the best for him and let’s see,” manager Oliver Glasner said following the match.
Mateta then posted a message to social media about the situation.
“Thank you for your kind messages. I’m doing well. I hope to be back very soon and stronger than ever,” Mateta posted to his Instagram story. “Well done guys for the great job today. I love you. JP”
In the midst of a strong season with 12 Premier League goals and two assists, Mateta has been a key part of the Palace attack, so they won’t want this injury to keep him out for long, but, more important, it’s good to see that he’s conscious and in good spirits following the win for his Eagles. Palace chairman Steve Parish also weighed in on the challenge.
“In all the time I’ve been watching football, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse challenge. If you’re kicking someone in the head then you don’t know what damage may have been done,” Parish said.
On Sunday, Crystal Palace will find out who they face in the last eight of the FA Cup when the draw takes place following Manchester United’s clash with Fulham.
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