It almost ended in tragedy. Ukrainian first league player collapses on the pitch

Today, August 12, marks the sixth round of the Ukrainian First League, and in the match of the round between Podillya Khmelnytskyi and Probiy Horodenka, a distressing episode occurred.

Details: Just after the teams emerged from the locker rooms ahead of kickoff, the visiting team's goalkeeper, Ivan Pitsan, suddenly felt unwell. During the Ukrainian national anthem, he collapsed onto the pitch and was unable to leave the field on his own. Moreover, he had to be handed over to the ambulance crew present at the stadium.

The cause of the goalkeeper's sudden illness remains unknown. Such incidents typically occur during extreme heat, but at kickoff in Khmelnytskyi it was only 13°C, with rain clouds gathering over the stadium. As a result, Pitsan was replaced in Probiy's starting lineup by Maksym Kovalenko.

For the record: At the time of writing, the match was at halftime. The visitors led 1-0 after Ivan Bilyi scored in the 33rd minute. Before the match, Podillya were bottom of the table in 16th place with just one point, while Probiy had three more points and sat in 12th position.