Chelsea’s Joao Pedro vomits after on-field collision with teammate in Brazil’s victory. In Brazil’s dominating 3-0 World Cup qualifier win over Chile, Chelsea striker João Pedro initially experienced a nasty collision. This happened with his international teammate Gabriel Martinelli. Moreover, Joao Pedro vomits on the pitch he went on to play. It happened at Rio de Janeiro’s famous Maracanã Stadium. This took a momentarily bad light over what was otherwise a dominant performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
The Incident
The crash occurred during the 17th minute of the match. Brazil right-back Wesley made a cross into the Chile penalty area. João Pedro went in to challenge for the ball and collided with Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli. It looked as though the collision severely winded Chelsea’s 23-year-old star.
Despite the collision being violent it looked very much as though both players were not too hurt and got up quickly. However, for João Pedro the effects were almost instantaneous. As if to defy the pain which must have been coursing through him after the collision, the striker continued to play for a short while. But boy, did his physical trauma start to come out in a hurry thereafter. While the commentators and fans collectively thought his play was a result of the serious impact he had. He started to vomit on the pitch. The perseverance on display was amazing. One could not believe that he had managed to play on to still be part of the half after the collision.
The Aftermath and Substitution
Pedro eventually had to receive treatment on the pitch following the collision. He played for most of the match but was replaced in the 71st minute, when he was substituted for West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá. Interestingly, Paquetá quickly made his presence felt, scoring Brazil’s second just a minute after he entered.
Match Context and Personal Ambition
If the match was an exhibition of Brazil’s power, it didn’t hurt the team when Chelsea’s teenage wonder Estêvão scored his first for the national team. Lucas Paquetá scored and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães finished things with a strong victory. This put Brazil in a more solid position on the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying table.
For João Pedro, this was a hard slip-up in his third cap. He made his senior team debut for Brazil in November 2023. The striker has made no qualms about wanting to wear the number 9 jersey for Brazil this time next summer in the World Cup.
A Testament to Professionalism
This startling incident draws attention to the physical strain and often violent violence that are associating part of professional football. João Pedro’s first effort to stay on the pitch for the team displays an immense professionalism to do his duty for his national team. The eventual substitution might have provided him with some relief. But, the mere act of going back on immediately after such a bewildering impact tells you a lot about the kinds of character and resilience needed to compete at the highest level in international sport. This experience will probably be a highly memorable, albeit not pleasant, one in the English-Chelsea forward‘s early international career.