Karius suffered concussion during Champions League final, doctors say
Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius was concussed during May's Champions League final, doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed Monday, providing a possible reason for the German's calamitous performance in Kyiv.
Dr. Ross Zafonte and Dr. Lenore Herget examined Karius in Boston on May 31, and determined that the 24-year-old had suffered a head injury.
The specifics of the injury weren't confirmed, but it's widely believed Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos caused the concussion with a stray elbow in the penalty area.
¡SERGIO RAMOS NO LE ESQUIVA A LAS POLÉMICAS!#ChampionsxFOX | Tras la jugada donde terminó lesionado Mohamed Salah, el capitán del Real Madrid chocó con Loris Karius y lo golpeó en el rostro, casualmente dos minutos antes del primer gol. pic.twitter.com/GcLYpOxdl7
— FOX Sports Colombia (@FOXSportsCo) May 27, 2018
"At the time of our evaluation, Mr. Karius's principal residual symptoms and objective signs suggested that visual-spatial dysfunction existed and likely occurred immediately following the event," the statement read. "Additional symptomatic and objectively noted areas of dysfunction also persisted. It could be possible that such deficits would affect performance."
Karius is making "significant" progress on the road to recovery, the doctors added.
He gifted Madrid the opener to Karim Benzema mere minutes after taking the blow to the head, and mishandled Gareth Bale's shot from distance later in the 3-1 defeat.
Related - Watch: Karius' clanger gifts Benzema opener in Champions League final
Ramos drew heavy criticism in the aftermath of the final for a separate coming-together with Mohamed Salah that left the Egyptian international with a dislocated shoulder. One petition calling for UEFA and FIFA to "take measures" against Ramos has amassed more than 500,000 signatures online.
Karius was extremely apologetic in the minutes, hours, and days after the final, saying on Instagram he was "infinitely sorry to my teammates, for you fans, and for all the staff."