Ajax Waalwijk game was abandoned after the goalkeeper was knocked unconscious

Ajax Amsterdam's Dutch league away game against RKC Waalwijk was abandoned in the 84th minute on Saturday after RKC goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen was knocked unconscious in a clash with an opposing player. Vaessen went down after a collision with Ajax forward Brian Brobbey, causing panicked reactions from his teammates as they frantically called for medical help. Screens were put up around the goalkeeper to shield him from the public eye and players from both sides watched with tears in their eyes as a defibrillator was rushed onto the field. Vaessen lay motionless on the field for minutes before he was carried away on a stretcher after regaining consciousness. Both teams went inside and after deliberations, the game was called off. "Etienne was knocked out for a while," RKC director Frank van Mosselveld told broadcaster NOS about an hour after the incident. "Our medical staff started reanimation straightaway but it looked like it wasn't a problem with his heart. He was conscious again when he left the field but he did not know where he was." He pointed out that while Vaessen  was inside the locker room, he “did not know what happened or where he was.” The match was abandoned in the 85th minute while Ajax led 3-2.