Super Eagles defender Chidozie Awaziem suffered an injury blow during FC Cincinnati’s MLS home game against Los Angeles FC, forcing his side to continue the game without him.
Unfortunately, Cincinnati went on to lose the match at the TQL Stadium, Footballrover reports.
Star performances from Luca Orellano and Denis Bouanga played a decisive role as Cincinnati dropped to third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Awaziem’s injury occurred just 32 minutes into the game, and it didn’t look good. He went down on his own, appearing to suffer a non-contact injury.
After attempting a defensive tackle, he immediately felt pain, kicked the ball out of bounds, and clutched his leg, specifically around the quad area.
The 27-year-old center-back went down after stretching to intercept a progressive pass.
Alvas Powell getting set to come on as Awaziem is helped off the pitch. #FCCincy https://t.co/vbM9uYJWET
— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) September 29, 2024
He tapped the ball out and collapsed to the ground. Awaziem was eventually helped off the pitch, with Alvas Powell coming on as his replacement.
LAFC strike after Awaziem’s exit
Moments after Awaziem left the field, LAFC capitalised, with David Martinez scoring to make it 1-0.
Martinez squeesed his shot between Ian Murphy and Gioacchini, slotting it past Celentano.
The energy at TQL Stadium noticeably dropped after the injury, but Cincinnati managed to find an equaliser when Luca Orellano’s shot was deflected by club legend Kei Kamara.
Whether it was an own goal or a stunning strike by Orellano, the game was tied at 1-1.
However, in the 73rd minute, Denis Bouanga danced past Ian Murphy and powered a shot past Roman Celentano from a tight angle, securing a 2-1 victory for LAFC.
And that would be the final score.
Cincinnati’s unbeaten run ends after five games
This marked Cincinnati’s first defeat in five games after a stretch of two wins and two draws.
Before his injury, Awaziem had 37 touches, completed 26 accurate passes, including three long balls, won one ground duel, made two clearances, two recoveries, and two interceptions.
After the game, his head coach, Pat Noonan, offered few words, presenting no updates on Awaziem’s injury.
Cincinnati’s next match is against New York City at Red Bull Arena, where they will be without their key defender.
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