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AS Roma and relegation-threatened Udinese are to play out the final 18 minutes of their Serie A clash on Thursday, nearly two weeks after Evan Ndicka‘s on-pitch collapse caused the game to be suspended.
Unlike in other leagues, where the full match would have to be replayed, Serie A dictated that the match at the Bluenergy Stadium can be resumed from the moment it was stopped. Luton Town‘s Premier League fixture with Bournemouth was suspended after Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest in December, and the teams returned to play out the match in full on March 13.
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The game in Udine will resume with the scores tied 1-1, with Roma’s Romelu Lukaku equalising after Roberto Pereyra‘s first-half opener. Serie A regulations stipulate that the clubs are allowed to select entirely different players for the remainder of the match, with the only exceptions being players who were substituted off during the competed 72 minutes of play.
Ndicka has been cleared to resume sporting activity after undergoing a series of tests.
During the initial incident, Ndicka was conscious but visibly in pain, rubbing his chest with his right hand as the medical team rushed towards him. He was discharged from the hospital a day after the incident, which occurred on April 14.
The game has significant consequences for both teams, with Roma chasing qualification for next season’s Champions League and Udinese fighting to stave off relegation.
Udinese will be under the managerial stewardship of 2006 World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro for the first time in the partial match on Wednesday, with the 50-year-old appointed to the post on Monday.