Flying knee left Saudi defender with a fractured jaw, broken facial bones and internal bleeding

Saudi defender Yasser Al-Shahrani was one of the stars in the surprising 2-1 win over Argentina. However, the player was not able to celebrate the victory properly after suffering a nasty facial injury. So bad that he was taken off the field on a stretcher and then flown home for surgery.

Saudi Yasser Al-Shahrani injury

The whole sequence was hard to see.

Al-Shahrani was trying to repel an Argentine attack in injury time when the flying knee of teammate and goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais went right to his face. 

Here is the action. (Viewer discretion is advised)

A strong injury to the #SaudiArabia team player, Yasser Alshahrani, at the #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 match against #Argentina. #FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 @Argentina @afa @SaudiNT @saudiFF pic.twitter.com/oC5aoYYBne

— Alkass Digital (@alkass_digital) November 22, 2022

Al-Owais knew the impact was violent and immediately asked for assistance. The Saudi medical team evaluated Al-Shahrani and determined he needed to leave the pitch. And after a round of x-rays, they decided to fly him back to Riyadh for surgery. 

According to reports, Al Shahrani had a fractured jaw, broken facial bones and internal bleeding.

Fortunately, the surgery went well and Al Shahrani shared a message with the Saudi fans. 

Watch: #Saudi footballer Yasser al-Shahrani assures fans he is recovering well after sustaining a painful injury during the Kingdom’s match against #Argentina at the #WorldCup.https://t.co/gUMX3Uwneb pic.twitter.com/l5N59FEV1y

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) November 23, 2022

"I wanted to assure you that I am okay. Pray for me. And congratulations to our Saudi fans on the win. You deserve it," he said.

As you can imagine, he is not returning to the Saudi camp and will miss the rest of the tournament.