Paulo Dybala of Argentina is likely to miss the 2022 World Cup after suffering an unexpected injury while taking a penalty for AS Roma against Leece on Sunday.
Following goals from Chris Smalling and Gabriel Strefezza to make it 2-1 for Roma, Dybala converted a penalty, but he immediately pulled up in pain. He realized there was a problem.
Before obtaining care, the forward was surrounded by his worried teammates. He was unable to finish the game and appeared dejected as he sat down in the dugout.
From the replays, it appeared to be nothing, but Dybala certainly injured his leg while striking the ball.
The 28-year-old was shown with an ice pack on his left leg after being replaced by Nemanja Matic. Since joining Roma from Juventus in the summer, he has scored seven goals in 11 matches.
Dybala’s injury, according to Roma manager Jose Mourinho, is “very bad,” and the striker won’t likely return to action until 2023.
“I say bad, but I think very, very bad. I am not a doctor, but in my experience, and speaking to Paulo, it’s unlikely we’ll see him this year,” Mourinho told DAZN, per Football Italia.
Moment when Dybala scored and he got injured 😬
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) October 9, 2022