Chilean footballer Gary Medel was rushed to the dentist for mouth surgery after suffering an accident on the pitch in a friendly game with Peru. Chile went on to win the match 3-0 but the former Cardiff midfielder had to head straight to the dentist instead of celebrating the victory.
The clash occurred after Medel had scored for his country and he collided with Ricardo Cruzado of Peru towards the end of the first half. Cruzado earned himself a red card for the wayward elbow and Medel suffered severe dental trauma. The 27-year-old was left spitting blood as a result of the collision and two of his teeth where knocked out of the sockets; another tooth was badly damaged and Medel also required stitches to treat a cut to his tongue.
Despite his injuries, Medel seemed to be recovering well and later posted an update to followers on Twitter, saying ‘One less tooth and another broken in a ‘friendly’ game. Thank you all for your concern.’
Team doctor Giovanni Carcuro released a statement after treating the midfielder, explaining ‘As soon as the match had finished, [Medel] had an urgent dental operation to resolve this situation’.