I heard a crack from the dugout – Simeone feared Torres neck injury

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone says he heard a crack from the dugout when Fernando Torres suffered a sickening head injury against Deportivo La Coruna.

Players from both teams were left visibly shaken as substitute Torres was stretchered off following a clash of heads with Alex Bergantinos in the 85th minute of Thursday’s 1-1 LaLiga draw.

Torres – who is awake and responsive and will spend the night in hospital under observation – appeared to be knocked out before landing heavily on the Riazor turf as team-mates rushed to his aid.

Speaking afterwards, Simeone revealed he feared the striker had sustained a neck injury, telling reporters: “Torres is awake. We were worried, nervous.

“[It] was such a hard knock. I heard a crack from the dugout, I didn’t know if it was the neck. The movement didn’t look good … we hope [for] the best for Fernando.”

In a message posted on Twitter, Saul Niguez said: “Friend, hoping it was just a scare and see you soon.”

Amigo, deseando que solo sea un susto y nos veamos pronto. @Torres pic.twitter.com/zed1xPbnqj

— Saúl Ñiguez Esclapez (@saulniguez) March 2, 2017

Atletico full-back Filipe Luis also cast a concerned figure post-match, adding:  “It’s a very ugly thing to see and we’re not used to it. We’ve been scared.

“The news we’ve received is good. The important thing is that he’s okay.

“He is one of the best people I know.”