Antonio Rudiger was the main protagonist of the final minutes of the match vs Shakhtar. First, he went extremely close on the goal with a header that went near the right post of the opponent’s keeper. Then, a few moments later he took the time from opponent’s keeper and sent the ball home with another header, only to have the latter punching his head unintentionally. The German’s equalizer was covered by blood but it was more than enough to secure the qualification for Real Madrid.
Despite his will to play, Ancelotti ordered the defender to get outside the pitch and get medical help. It was surely the only right option in that moment. As the German was entering the preparation room with a member of the medical team pressing his forehead to stop the blood, he kept saying: “If you squeeze me it hurts more!”, only to have the doctor insisting: “You have to press!”
In order to give him the needed help as soon as possible, the doctors then gathered and made an intervention immediately inside the preparation room with the tools from the first aid kit and a phone which was used as a torch to see the wound clearer from near. “You have to suture inside. Let's go for it. Tell me how high Oh is it ok? Attached to the skin, the thread is hidden. Are you okay, my friend?” the doctors said.
His teammates entered the preparation room to stay close and encourage him. Toni Kroos and Alaba joined him right away and a few moments later Lucas Vasquez, Asensio, Mariano, Hazard, Ancelotti and Modric arrived, with the Croatian quite unable to cope with the unpleasant view of his teammate’s wound. As the room got overpopulated, the others were waiting outside, worried and wanting to know how everything was going.
As the treatment was about to end the doctors encouraged him: “Rudi, let's go, there's less friend. Less is left. Well done Antonio!” The doctor who carried out the main part of the intervention kept giving advices: “Slowly move slowly now, okay? Are you dizzy? Get some ice later to put a lot on it later”. The wound was finally treated and closed. Rudi and his teammates couldn’t be happier. “Thanks doc”, the German said. “You're welcome”, the doc responded.
Rudi then, got up slowly and left the room accompanied by Kroos and Alaba. On the way out he was asked and greeted by the other teammates and the club employees. They rushed to Away Team’s dressing room to change his clothes and get ready to leave.
After the whole action, the doctor Felipe Seguera was asked how everything went and he explained: “We have sutured him up and gave him internal stitches because the subcutaneous cellular tissue of the frontalis muscle was damaged. We also did an intradermal suture so the scar is as minimal as possible”. When asked how many stitches there were, he answered”: “It’s an intradermal suture, but it’d be around 20 stitches”.
During the flight of the home return, Rudiger posted a photo in his social media where he appeared with a bandage in his forehead and with a smile in his face, writing in the description: “We alive”, accompanied by a smiling and a praying emoji.
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