Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez was left bloodied after he copped a boot to the face in his side’s Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid.
A delightful cross from Lamine Yamal found the unmarked Lopez in acres of space inside Atleti’s 18-yard box.
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However, Lopez could only direct his header straight at Atleti goalkeeper Juan Musso.
But there was more pain to come for the Barcelona star.
How was Lopez injured against Atletico Madrid?
In the process of making the save, Musso’s outstretched left boot connected with Lopez’s face as he fell down.
The collision left Lopez in a bloody mess on the turf at the Wanda Metropolitano, prompting Barcelona’s medical staff to race over.
With Lopez looking worse for wear, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick instructed England international Marcus Rashford to warm up.
However, Rashford was not required as Barca’s medics patched up Lopez and kept him on the pitch.
Returning serve
Lopez was not the only player busted open in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.
Atleti defender Matteo Ruggeri earned a battle scar midway through the second half when he challenged for a header, only to cop an elbow from Gavi.
Blood poured out of a wound just above Ruggeri’s right eyebrow, but thankfully he was able to continue.
Lopez’s gruesome injury was one of several early flashpoints in what was a pulsating start to the second leg of Barcelona and Atleti’s Champions League quarter-final tie.
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Diego Simeone‘s side boasted a 2-0 advantage going into Tuesday’s tie.
However, that went up in smoke within 25 minutes as goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres wiped away the deficit.
Yamal struck in the fourth minute as he capitalised on a careless backpass from Clement Lenglet and drove towards goal, where he produced a composed strike past Musso.
Torres then levelled the tie with a thumping strike across Musso from just inside the 18-yard box.
However, Atleti winger Ademola Lookman restored the home side’s advantage in the tie in the 31st minute.
The former Leicester City and Fulham winger capped off a lovely move that began in Atleti’s own half as he tapped home Antoine Griezmann’s squared pass from the right.
Barcelona thought they’d pulled level yet again when Torres had the ball in the back of the net for the second time on the night.
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However, Torres’ goal was chalked off as he was in an offside position when he received the ball.
There was further controversy to come when Barcelona lost Eric Garcia to a red card following a VAR review.
Garcia had initially escaped punishment for a foul on Atleti striker Alexander Sorloth, who was adjudged to have been offside.
But a VAR review found Sorloth in an onside position, which meant Garcia had denied him a goalscoring opportunity.
Despite Barcelona being down to 10 men, they continued to pour numbers forward in search of an equaliser.
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But a third goal for Flick’s side proved elusive as Atleti hung on for a famous result as they won the tie 3-2 despite losing 2-1 on the night.
Diego Simeone’s men will now face either Arsenal or Sporting in the semi-finals, with the first leg to be played on either April 27 or 29.
