There was so much fear followed by sheer relief on Sunday evening following the incident in which Evan Ndicka was suddenly taken ill during the clash between Udinese and Roma with 20 minutes left on the clock with the scoreline level at 1-1. The Roma defender is now recovering well, but there was so much anxiety among those in attendance at the stadium. One of those was Enzo Ebosse, who spent time playing alongside his Roma counterpart earlier in his career.
“I know Evan well, although we’re less in touch now. We played for France U-16s together. He then went to Germany while I stayed there. We know these sorts of things can happen to anyone, but when you see it happen from the stands, you don’t think about that. You’re sitting there and you see the goalkeeper call for medical assistance, everyone rushes on to the pitch and [Daniele] De Rossi goes up to the medical staff, so you realise the situation could be worse than you think.”
Having left the pitch on a stretcher, the good news was that Ndicka didn’t lose consciousness on the way off, as Ebosse explained: “We could tell it wasn’t too serious.”
Hassane Kamara stayed in hospital alongside Ndicka, with Ebosse contacting his team-mate for regular updates.
“He already told us yesterday that he was OK and the same thing this morning. He’s now back in Rome. We’re all so pleased for him and he’s now back with his family.
“Some players went into the opposition dressing room. These things can bring you together as opponents. There’s no more rivalry. It’s the last thing you want to think about because otherwise, you wouldn’t go back on the pitch.”
The 25-year-old then gave an update on his own fitness, having completed the first phase of his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury sustained against Cagliari in September last year.
“This is the final week before I return to full training with my team-mates. I’m doing all I can to get back this season. It’ll be tough at the start, but I’ll quickly get into the rhythm. What happened in Cagliari made this the hardest phase of my life, but that’s football.
“I’ve been playing the game since I was six years old and this is what I live for. I think that from now onwards, my career will be much better. I feel stronger than before.”
Next up for Udinese is a trip to Hellas Verona, which Ebosse offered his assessment of.
“It’s a really important fixture for everyone and we need to get a result there. The league wouldn’t be over if we lost, but we’re focused on doing well. We understand the fans’ anger and we’re also disappointed to have lost or drawn games that we seemed capable of winning until just before the end and yet, we’re still here fighting.
“It’s been a tough season for us and for the fans, but that can happen in football. These are the times when we need to all be on the same page and stay united to achieve the best possible result. Our goal is to stay in Serie A.”