Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Diego Gomez faces an anxious wait over the extent of a serious injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur, with manager Fabian Hürzeler confirming that the club are still awaiting further medical assessment.
Gomez was forced off early in the match after landing awkwardly in a challenge, with visible discomfort and distress as he left the pitch after 20 minutes.
The severity of the injury is not yet known, with Hurzeler stating: “We can’t say anything yet, so we need to wait for the next days.”
The uncertainty immediately raises concerns over Gomez’s participation in the upcoming World Cup with Paraguay.
Diego Gomez was forced off early in the match after landing awkwardly in a challenge, with visible discomfort and distress as he left the pitch after 20 minutes. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Diego Gomez was forced off early in the match after landing awkwardly in a challenge, with visible discomfort and distress as he left the pitch after 20 minutes. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)
The 23-year-old has been viewed as an important part of the national team’s midfield plans, and any significant layoff could put his tournament dream under serious threat depending on scan results expected in the coming days.
Brighton are also facing a growing selection concern on the left flank after Kaoru Mitoma was forced off late in the match despite only coming on as a substitute.
The Japan international – who scored Albion’s first goal in an entertaining 2-2 draw – was unable to complete the game, leaving Hurzeler potentially short of natural wide options ahead of a crucial run-in.
With both players now undergoing assessment, Brighton’s medical room is set to be closely watched — while Paraguay will be nervously monitoring updates on Gomez as the World Cup approaches.
‘Not our best performance but we showed belief’
It was De Zerbi's first home match in charge of Spurs, whilst Hurzeler had to watch on from the stands – serving the last match of his suspension.
A win would have moved Brighton up to sixth, even if only temporarily, but they had to settle for a point. It could be seen as one point gained, though, with the equaliser coming in the fifth minute of injury-time.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hurzeler said: "Not our best performance but we showed belief through the whole game. We were there to win it, especially in the second half. We controlled, we dominated, we had so many chances.
"We looked good, we have to believe to win it. I have to say regarding the performance, we take the point. We are disappointed because we wanted more. We showed good character.
“We had the big chance and we didn't score. They scored with a brilliant moment.
"We weren't always able to defend Xavi [Simons], we didn't always perform at the highest level but we showed real character. Our subs made a huge difference when they came into game, they had “
"We are sticking together as a group. Today wasn't our best game but we take the point, we are still in a good run."
The German said talk of qualifying for Europe is positive but added that it’s just ‘noise’.
He added: “There are still five big games to go, we just focus game to game."
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