Udinese vs Roma called off after medical incident involving Evan Ndicka

Roma's trip to Udinese was called off in the second half after defender Evan Ndicka was stretchered off.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt man went down in worrying fashion without anyone near him not long after Romelu Lukaku had equalised for the Giallorossi.

He was stretchered off holding his chest but appeared to be alert and gave a thumbs up.

But Daniele De Rossi's side were reluctant to resume the fixture due to concerns over their teammate and after a stoppage of 15 minutes, the decision was made to abandon the game.

The score was 1-1 and the remaining 18 minutes plus added time will be replayed at a later date

Ndicka is conscious has been taken to hospital for tests, according to an official comment from Roma.

A statement on X said: "Following an illness suffered on the pitch by Evan Ndicka, #UdineseRoma was suspended. The player is conscious and was transported to hospital for checks. Come on Evan, we're all with you!"

The referee, Luca Pairetto, received praise for the way in which he calmly handled an extremely tricky situation.

When he signalled for an early full-time, both sets of fans applauded in a beautiful moment.

Ndicka came through the ranks Auxerre before joining Frankfurt for a fee of €5.5 million in 2018.

He played 183 times for the Bundesliga side but moved to Roma on a free in the summer, penning a five-year contract at the Stadio Olimpico.

Born in France, the 24-year-old has been capped 14 times by the Ivory Coast and was part of the side which won the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.