John Terry was kicked in the head, knocked unconscious, and he
swallowed his tongue.
He was still back at the Millennium Stadium to celebrate
Chelsea's 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday in the League Cup
final.
The Chelsea captain was accidentally kicked in the head by
Arsenal defender Abou Diaby in the 58th minute after trying to
score with a diving header.
He fell to the ground and swallowed his tongue, Chelsea medical
officer Brian English said, and was unconscious for about a minute.
The England captain was then put on a stretcher with an oxygen mask
placed over his mouth and a brace around his head.
Play was halted for six minutes before Terry was carried off the
field and the game resumed.
"As soon as JT went down I could see it in his face (that it was
serious)," said Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who lifted the
trophy in the absence of Terry.
English told Sky Sports News that Terry was later able
to talk but could not remember anything about the incident. Terry
had scans on his head and neck before being released from the
hospital and returned to the stadium in his uniform but later
changed into a suit and left on the team bus.
"Today is strange," said Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who
scored both goals. "We won and we're happy because we've got the
cup but we are also scared because we didn't know what to expect
when we saw JT on the floor. I think more about JT than the
cup."?
Terry has had a series of injuries and was a doubtful starter
for the first cup final of the English season. He recently
recovered from back and calf muscle injuries that sidelined him for
13 games, and then went down with ankle ligament damage in
Wednesday's 1-1 Champions League draw at FC Porto.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech underwent surgery for a fractured
skull after being hurt during a match.
"I think it's one of the worst moments I have experienced on the
pitch because I can't remember my injury," Cech said. "But you saw
the reaction of the players. For the first three or four minutes
after the injury, I had other emotions. I hope he will be all
right. I hope it's the last injury he has."
Cech was injured when his head collided with the knee of Reading
midfielder Stephen Hunt at Madejski Stadium in a contest for the
ball on October 14.
He was carried off the field and collapsed in the changing room.
When Cech arrived at a hospital, it was discovered that he had
fractured his skull. He returned to action last month.
(Xinhua News Agency via AP February 26, 2007)
