Olympic hockey match briefly halted after horror injury that broadcasters had to cut away from
The women's hockey semi-final between the Netherlands and Argentina had to be stopped for over five minutes after a nasty injury.
Both sides were playing for a place in the final, with the Netherlands running out 3-0 winners.
The Dutch side will take on either Belgium or China next, with Argentina taking on the losers of that match in the bronze medal final.
But despite the relative ease of victory for the Netherlands in terms of the scoreline, they suffered a major scare during the match after an injury to Joosje Burg in the first quarter.
Advert
Burg went down after a shot hit her in the face from a matter of yards away, and blood poured from her face.
The 27-year-old had to receive extensive treatment as medical staff tried to stop the bleeding from her nose.
Fortunately, Burg was able to get to her feet and leave the field of play with assistance.
Remarkably, she was then able to continue the match after her nose was taped, but it appeared to have taken significant damage. She returned to the pitch with a new jersey and number.
¡AUCH! 🤕🇳🇱
— TNT Sports México (@tntsportsmex) August 7, 2024
La jugadora neerlandesa de hockey sobre césped, Joosje Burg, sufrió un fuerte golpe en el rostro durante las Semifinales de #Paris2024.
Volvió a la cancha y al final del partido fue asistida en una ambulancia. 🚑 pic.twitter.com/bq58037ppg
She played a number of minutes in the second half of the match before then returning to the bench.
After the impact, Eurosport decided not to show a replay of the incident and cut away from Burg receiving treatment.
Burg has, perhaps unsurprisingly, yet to comment on her injury, but Dutch forward Frederique Matla expressed deep concern for her team-mate in her post-match interview.
She said: "Joosje and I are real friends. We play together at Den Bosch and for Oranje, but we also play each other a lot off the field.
"She played her 50th international match today. I wanted her to have the most beautiful match ever. A semi-final with a golden edge. And then this happens - that is a blemish on this match.
"The blow was really hard, she suffered a lot from it.
"It speaks for her that she is still trying to get on the field. To see if it works. Whether it was wise, I don't know.
"I don't think the medical staff had much choice! Joosje wanted to be here so badly, she couldn't be held back."
Topics: Netherlands, Olympics
Ryan Smart