The Russian goalkeeper of Belenenses Stanislav Kritsyuk, a few hours after the hardest clash with Porto defender Nanu in the Portuguese Championship match (0: 0), published a post on his Instagram page in which he apologized to his opponent and explained the reasons for the incident.
First of all, the goalkeeper wished the opponent a speedy recovery and promised to pray for Nana and his family.
He also admitted that after the incident, he received many offensive comments and messages on social networks.
“I was going to intercept, and Nanu and I, plus the defender, were moving towards the ball.
I shouted that I was playing, if the defender left the ball, I would be the first on the ball and knock him out with my fists.
On the replay, you can clearly see that my fists are right behind Bruno's leg, as well as where my hands are, and when and from which side there is a collision.
And Nanu would crash into me, and the foul would be in our direction.
The decision of the referee and VAR not to award penalties confirms my words.
You can see it on the video, ”said the athlete.
He also stressed that he did not hit the defender with his fists or hands, contrary to the footage from some angles.
According to the goalkeeper, Nanu himself flew into him from the side, causing both heads to collide.
“Accordingly, there was no malicious intent in my actions, just a game moment.
And I could have been in Nanu's place, but I was a little more fortunate, ”the Russian added.
In conclusion, Kritsyuk responded to the fans, who began to insult him after the match with Porto.
“I understand that this is how people express their love for the club and concern for the player.
No one is to blame for what happened.
It's a sport.
And to my great regret, sometimes such things happen in him.
May God grant Nan health and patience and strength to his family!
Everyone is good, ”Stanislav summed up.
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Publication from Stanislav Kritciuk (@ kritciuk_01)
The goalkeeper collided with the defender in the 85th minute of the match.
After being thrown into the penalty area of “Belenenses”, Kritsyuk, risking injury, ran to intercept at high speed and collided with both an opponent and his own defender.
After the incident, both the Russian and the Portuguese were left lying on the lawn.
But if the goalkeeper escaped with a bruise, then the Porto footballer lost consciousness.
The defender was assisted for about 13 minutes, after which the game resumed.
At the same time, an ambulance quickly appeared on the field.
Many Porto players initially tried to argue with the referee and demanded a penalty, but quickly turned their attention to their partner.
Due to the fact that Nanu did not regain consciousness, many were in a state of deep shock.
Pepe's reaction was especially striking.
The 37-year-old veteran was crying while sitting at the bar.
Kritsyuk himself, limping, walked across the field with a cooling compress.
And the injured defender of the guests was taken directly from the field to the hospital.
The match was finished, but the teams failed to hit each other's goal.
Thus, Porto, fighting for the championship, lost the most important points in the meeting with the team from the bottom of the standings.
And the Russian who chalked up six saves became the best footballer according to the statistical resource Goal Point.
After the final whistle, Porto head coach Sergio Conceição accused the team of referees who allegedly “robbed” his players.
According to the expert, the goalkeeper for a collision with Nana should have been removed, while the referee did not even show him a yellow card.
In turn, the coach of “Belenenses” Armand Petit only wished the defender a speedy recovery.
Fortunately, the player's condition has stabilized.
Porto posted a post on social media about his health.
The club noted that Nanu received a concussion and a spinal cord injury, simultaneously losing consciousness.
At the same time, it was noted that the athlete came to his senses and orientated himself in time and space.
However, this did not save Kritsyuk from the rage on social media.
In particular, fans of the "dragons" began to leave messages under the goalkeeper's post on Instagram with a photo of his son.
However, some fans in the current situation supported the legionnaire and even apologized to him for the insults from the less restrained fans.
“To be honest, it would have been a penalty, but you played without any malice, and I believe that later you will apologize to our Nan.
This can happen to anyone in professional football.
Ignore any malicious comments.
Nanu will be back stronger soon.
Be strong, Stanislav ”, - quotes one of the users of“ Sport-Express ”.
The goalkeeper moved to Belenenses from Krasnodar at the end of September 2020 as a free agent.
As part of the new team, the Russian played 11 matches in the current season of the Portuguese championship, in which he conceded eight goals.
In six meetings, the goalkeeper played back to zero.
At the same time, Belenenses cannot boast of stable results.
Petit's wards are fighting for survival in Primeyer and are only three points ahead of the relegation zone.
For Kritsyuk himself, this is not the first voyage to Portugal.
In 2013, he moved from the Togliatti academy to Braga, where he played for the second team.
He also played for Rio Ave on loan.
Later, the Russian became the "first number" and moved to Krasnodar.