Le Normand suffers serious brain injury after sickening head clash

Atletico Madrid have confirmed that defender Robin Le Normand suffered a traumatic brain injury following a sickening clash of heads during Sunday’s derby at home to Real.

The Spain international, 27, collided with Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni when attempting to defend a corner in the final moments of their La Liga meeting at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Le Normand received treatment on the pitch but the full time whistle went immediately after and the severity of his injury was unknown until Atletico provided an update this afternoon confirming that he has sustained a subdural haematoma - a brain bleed. No return date has been set but he is expected to be ruled out of action for a significant spell.

Their club statement said: “Robin Le Normand suffered a severe blow to the head in the final minutes of the Madrid derby, for which he underwent a series of tests and was assessed by specialists who determined that he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) with subdural haematoma.

“In the process of returning our player to competition, the guidelines set out in the protocol established for this type of trauma will be followed.”

Diego Simeone’s side drew 1-1 thanks to a late goal from Angel Correa after Eder Militao put Real in front shortly after the hour mark. Atletico’s Marcos Llorente was also shown a red card in the 99th minute.

The game had been delayed for 15 minutes during the second period owing to crowd trouble with Atletico ultras throwing objects - including faeces - at goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian formerly played for Atletico before moving to Chelsea.

Atletico sit fourth in La Liga with four wins and as many draws, five points behind leaders Barcelona with Real in second spot three behind.

Simeone's men make a short trip across the Iberian Peninsula to face Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday night having opened their campaign last month with a 2-1 win against RB Leipzig at home.

Carlo Ancelotti's Real, meanwhile, travel to Lille. The reigning champions got their European campaign off to a winning start by defeating Stuttgart 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.