Though Roma will be celebrating their unusual 2-1 victory over Udinese on Thursday evening, there are concerns for defender Chris Smalling, who was substituted off, despite there only being around 20 minutes of action to play on the night.
Udinese-Roma began from the 72nd minute on Thursday evening, after the original match was suspended following Evan Ndicka’s sudden collapse on the pitch 11 days ago.
There were a number of stoppages after Thursday’s re-start, many involving Udinese defender Nehuen Perez, who himself needed to be replaced by the 90th minute.
Smalling and the Argentine centre-back collided once, although it appeared to be a groin issue that the Englishman had been struggling with, as has also been suggested by Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio.
Smalling was eventually replaced by Diego Llorente for the final minutes of the Udinese match.
The extent of the issue has not yet been confirmed. It is expected that Smalling will undergo medical tests in the coming days.
#SerieA | @OfficialASRoma, problema all'inguine per #Smalling: sostiuito contro l'Udinese👇https://t.co/m0I6cLNQqx
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) April 25, 2024