Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Michael Awoniyi, has been placed in an induced coma following an abdominal surgery, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 27-year-old collided with the post in the 88th minute of his side's 2-2 draw against Leicester at the City Ground on Sunday as he attempted to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga.
Awoniyi injured himself, but tried to stay on. He could barely contribute to Forest's attack as he was writhing in pain. He was eventually withdrawn and Forest ended the game with ten men.
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The ex-Union Berlin striker had surgery Monday night with the rest of the procedure to be completed later today. As per Rob Dorsett, Awoniyi had ruptured an intestine, and the complications required he went under the knife immediately.
Awoniyi ruptured his intestine when he collided with the post against #lcfc on Sunday, I’m told, and his situation worsened in the next 24hrs which led to emergency surgery last night. The #nffc striker remains under observation in hospital.
— Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) May 13, 2025
According to the Daily Mail, the injury could've been fatal for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner. The initial signs are that the surgery has been a success. In what is a complex medical process, the doctors are expecting to complete the operation this evening.
Nottingham Forest released an official statement yesterday, claiming Awoniyi is recovering well following the operation.
Awoniyi, came on for Ibrahim Sangare on Sunday, and received lengthy treatment on the pitch. Prior to colliding with the post, Anthony Elanga, who played the ball into Awoniyi's path was in an offside position, but the linesman kept his flag down, as is the rule with the PGMol in England.
Now, many have called out the referee governing body, claiming the rule should be changed once an offside is clear, as the protocol needlessly endangers players.
When an immediate goalscoring opportunity is likely to occur, assistant referees are told to keep their flag down until the passage of play is complete. If a goal is scored, then the offside situation, or a foul in the build-up to the goal is reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR).
