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Wolves Goalkeeper Awake, Talking After Head Injury in Defeat to Liverpool
Rui Patricio was awake and talking after being knocked out in Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, club manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed.
The goalkeeper needed 14 minutes of treatment on the pitch following an accidental collision with team-mate Conor Coady late on.
He was carried off on a stretcher in worrying scenes which brought back distressing memories for Wolves.
Striker Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull in a clash of heads with David Luiz at Arsenal in November and is yet to return.
Diogo Jota scored a first-half winner on his return to Molineux, but Nuno was able to reveal the positive news on Patricio.
He said: “He is OK, he is awake, he is conscious. He’s speaking and remembers what happened. He is in good hands, and he is being assessed by the doctors.
“You have to take the right precautions, but he is OK. It was a collision with the knee of Coady, a big knock to his head but he is OK.
“We have to wait (before knowing whether he will miss games) and the following hours are important. He is going to be with the doctors and we have to wait for what’s happening.
“These situations can happen, even in a normal situation of the game.
“We played a good game, we competed well. We should do better with the final touch and final passes, but there was a good attitude and we fought until the end. They competed and gave everything they had.”
Wolves were undone by former striker Jota who scored his first goal since November following a knee injury.
He settled the match in first-half stoppage time when he finished a fine move from 16 yards [14 metres] after Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane combined.
Liverpool had lost six of their previous seven top-flight outings, but victory at mid-table Wolves lifted them to sixth in the Premier League.
However, they are still five points behind Chelsea as they chase a top-four spot.
Coady headed Wolves’ best chance over the bar and Salah had a goal disallowed for offside with four minutes remaining before Coady caught Patricio with his knee as the pair tried to stop the striker.
The goalkeeper needed oxygen and lengthy treatment before being replaced by concussion substitute John Ruddy.
“It was an awful situation. In these moments, everything loses importance immediately,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
On his team, he added: “Diogo has had an impact since he has been back and it makes it more special he was able to score. It was a perfect moment to score, a second before the half-time whistle.
“The rest of the game was a lot of defending but I’m completely fine with that. It’s what I wanted to see, that we understand the situation. It’s not about being Liverpool on a gala night.
“I’m really happy about the performance. I couldn’t be more happier with the dirty three points.
“We had very good moments where we should have done better. Defensively the whole game was really good, but I didn’t like the start, we weren’t active enough.”(dpa/NAN)
The finals of Gov. Peter Mbah Secondary Schools Games, on Thursday began in Enugu with the arrival and accreditation of athletes at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium Enugu.
Dan Onwuegbuna, Director, Information, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Enugu State, said in a statement on Thursday that the games would be held between Aug.
7 and Aug. 10 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and the Enugu State Sports Council.“The games is designed to help the state discover talents to represent the state at the forthcoming U15 National Youth Games scheduled to take place in Asaba, Delta, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 6,” he stated.
Onwuegbuna said that apart from representing the state at the Youth Games in Asaba, talented athletes discovered would represent the state in other competitions.
He quoted the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Lloyd Ekweremadu as thanking Gov. Peter Mbah for approving the games.
Onwuegbuna said that the games was made possible following the collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
The games finals followed the outcome of the inter- Secondary Schools competitions held at the local government areas in the six Educational Zones in the State – Enugu, Agbani, Awgu, Udi, Nsukka and Udenu.
“The games will feature athletics, boxing, chess, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis and scrabble,” Onwuegbuna stated.
Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Yachine Trophy, the Ballon d’Or award for the best female goalkeeper.
The 24-year-old recently joined Brighton Women FC from Paris FC after helping the French side win their first major title in nearly two decades.
Nnadozie delivered a heroic performance in the final of the 2025 Coupe de France Féminine, where Paris FC edged Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw at Stade de l’Épopée in Calais.She was also instrumental in Nigeria’s success at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons secured a record-extending 10th continental crown against host nation, Morocco.
Her standout displays earned her the Best Goalkeeper award and a place in the Team of the Tournament.
Other nominees for the Yachine Trophy include Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Cata Coll (Barcelona Femeni), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea Women) and Daphne van Domselaar (Arsenal Women).
Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained 36th position in the latest FIFA women’s world ranking.
The latest ranking was released on FIFA’s official website yesterday.
While the Super Falcons remain the number one team in Africa, WAFCON 2024 runners-up Morocco are third on the continent and dropped to 64th spot in the world.
Former WAFCON champions Banyana Banyana of South Africa maintained 54th place in the world and second in Africa.
Ghana’s Black Queens who claimed third place at the WAFCON dropped to 67th position in the global ranking.
The Super Falcons recently won their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after coming from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
Second half goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Folashade Ijamilusi and substitute Jennifer Echegini completed the turnaround.
Okoronkwo, scored a goal and provided two assists against the Moroccans was Named Player of the Match.
Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament while Captain Rasheedat Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Meanwhile, World champions Spain (1st, up 1) had an impressive run to the final of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 with five back-to-back wins, which was enough to see them reclaim top spot in the ranking, a position they previously held from December 2023 to June 2024.
The USA (2nd, down 1) have therefore been knocked off their perch, which they had occupied since August 2024.
However, three convincing home wins in friendlies during this period have kept the USA in contention, and they are now sitting less than two points behind Spain.
The top 10 has been shaken up completely since the June edition of the ranking, with France (6th, up 4) performing best among them.
France completed a flawless group stage at the European Championship before falling to Germany in the quarter-finals.
The next edition of the Women’s World Ranking will be published on 11 December 2025.
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