by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News February 12, 2023

Arne Espeel, a goalkeeper for Winkel Sport B in Belgium, died shortly after saving a penalty kick in the second half of his team’s match on Saturday. He was 25.

No cause of death has been reported.

According to a local news outlet VRT, the young goalkeeper stopped the penalty kick, got up, and then collapsed.

“The ball was still in play,” assistant coach Stefaan Dewerchin of Winkel Sport B said. “Our goalkeeper got up as quickly as possible to get the ball, but he fell down afterwards. It was really terrible to see.”

The match was immediately stopped and suspended.

Emergency services quickly arrived on site and tried for half an hour to revive Espeel. He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

Nieuwsblad reported: [Translation] “The disbelief is great and the sadness immense at the West Flemish amateur club Winkel Sint-Eloois. The club plays in the first national but also has a B team in the second provincial. All young friends from the municipality who have been playing together since childhood. On Saturday evening, the team received Westrozebeke at 6 PM. After 45 minutes the score was 2-1 and after fifteen minutes into the second half there was a penalty for the visitors. Home goalkeeper Arne Espeel stopped Mohammed El Baghdadi’s penalty kick and shouted yes when he suddenly went down again. He was shaking and no one quite knew what was happening. When Espeel remained lying down, the seriousness of the situation was seen and the first care was given to him. The emergency services also arrived on site and did everything possible with, among other things, a defibrillator, but the help was to no avail.”

Action . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish

  25, Died suddenly: Belgian soccer goalkeeper, WorldTribune.com