Koné leaves field in tears against Real Madrid; Gasperini fears muscle strain

Manu Koné left the pitch in tears in the 17th minute during AS Roma’s 3-4 defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday evening in the Champions League. The French international, comforted on the field by Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouameni and Ibrahima Konaté, was replaced by Niccolò Pisilli.

Questioned after the match, Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini delivered an initial diagnosis: Koné is suffering from “certainly a muscle strain or a tear”. The manager clarified that “Manu Koné’s unavailability is undoubtedly the more serious of the two”, with Paulo Dybala also coming off at half-time on suspicion of a calf strain.

Further tests will determine the exact length of the midfielder’s absence. In the event of a severe injury, unavailability of at least four weeks is being considered, which would rule Koné out of France’s next squad gathering in November. If the strain proves moderate, the timeframe could be significantly reduced.

This double injury blow cast a shadow over an already cruel evening for the Giallorossi, who were overturned by Real Madrid despite still leading 2-0 in the 82nd minute of this second Champions League matchday.