Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has confirmed that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is conscious and recovering in the hospital following an injury sustained during the FA Cup fifth round match against Millwall.
The incident occurred when Mateta collided with Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, who was subsequently shown a red card for the foul.
Despite the unfortunate incident, Crystal Palace managed to secure a 3-1 victory, with goals from Daniel Munoz, Eddie Nketiah, and an own goal by Japhet Tanganga.
Millwall’s Wes Harding scored the lone goal for the Lions, but the result was overshadowed by Mateta’s serious injury, which has raised concerns.
As Mateta, who has roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, begins his recovery, the Palace squad looks forward to his return while also celebrating their advancement in the FA Cup.
Glasner expressed concern for Mateta’s well-being, stating, “He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It’s a very serious injury so we hope all the best for him. We are not really happy, we can’t be really happy. Of course, it’s a great win and into the quarter-finals but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to see it, I just watched it and it is terrible. I’m sure the goalkeeper didn’t want to injure JP in this situation, no player wants this. But f you got to the ball with this with this intensity, with the foot at that height, you can’t do it because it’s so dangerous and we all have responsibilities for our health. I don’t want to blame him but it is a terrible foul.
“I didn’t see it like it was in the game, it was so quick, I could see the keeper had a lot of intensity, but he touched the ball first. But I could see it now in slow motion and it’s worse.”
