Two Benfica Players Hospitalised After Team Bus Was Attacked With Stones

Two Benfica players, Julian Weigl and Andrija Zivkovic have been hospitalized after the team bus was attacked with stones by fans outside the stadium. The Portuguese side returned to action for the first time since the coronavirus suspension and missed out on a chance to move to the top of the table after drawing their game against Tondela, who are currently in the bottom half of the points table. English Premier League Agrees to Have 5 Substitutes for Season Restart.

The team was reportedly travelling along a major highway in Lisbon and the incident occurred between club’s Estádio da Luz stadium and their Seixal training complex on the outskirts of Lisbon as the squad were returning after playing their first game on Thursday night since the current campaign was halted due to the pandemic. Italian Football to Return on June 12 with Coppa Italia Semis.

German midfielder Juliann Weigl and Serbian Andrija Zivkovic were hit with broken glass during the attack and required immediate treatment from the medical staff. The club has confirmed that both the players were taken to a hospital in Lisbon as a precautionary measure.

The defending champions of Portugal, failed to move ahead in the title race, as they are tied on 60 points with Porto at the top, with nine round of matches left. The fans gathered outside the stardom in support of the team, playing for the first time in months, as restrictions have been imposed due to COVID-19.

‘Benfica denounce and lament the criminal stoning the team bus was victim to,’ read the statement from the club. ‘We guarantee total collaboration with authorities to whom we appeal for the greatest effort to be made in identifying the offenders responsible for these criminal acts.’ They added further.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2020 03:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).