PSG took to the pitch for their warm-up before the match at Lille's home, but something went wrong. As usual, the first to take to the pitch were the goalkeepers, along with the various trainers who do specific exercises just for them. Between the crosses, the long passes, the high and low passes, something that is usually almost never seen happened. Safonov, the starting goalkeeper of Luis Enrique's team, during the warm-up, while attempting a lunge, collided with Borja Alvarez, the goalkeeper coach of the European champions.
The collision was quite strong and caused Safonov trauma to the head, neck and back. The Russian initially remained lying on the ground, before receiving assistance and leaving the field. Meanwhile, Lucas Chevalier and Alessandro Longoni continued their warm-up. Although he had been announced as a starter an hour before the start of the match, there were doubts about Safonov's presence on the field until the goalkeeper appeared in the tunnel along with the other starters. When such episodes occur, the player undergoes careful checks related to concentration and readiness of reflexes. Naturally, this procedure was also carried out with Safonov, who then returned to the field.
WOOWWWWW 😱😱😱
— Actu Ligue 1 (@ActuL1_) August 28, 2026
Safonov 🇷🇺 reste au sol après avoir percuté un adjoint…
🎥 @ligue1plus pic.twitter.com/6Bdadjehcg
Safonov played regularly afterwards
The goalkeeper played normally, entering the field along with all his teammates. But the fear was great. Moreover, the match was postponed by 15 minutes due to problems with the entry of fans with tickets. This small postponement gave the PSG technical staff the opportunity to more carefully assess the goalkeeper's condition, who, even in agreement with the technician Luis Enrique himself, decided to play anyway. The dynamics of the clash between the two were strange, since it was not a clash in the match or even in training, but during the warm-up.
In fact, it was a common exercise, in which the goalkeeper must intervene in an air attack, while the goalkeeper trainer “turns” into an obstacle, as if he were an opponent to be overcome. But the situation took a wrong turn and the goalkeeper collided with his trainer, frightening the entire audience present in the stadium. Fortunately, even the first minutes of the match did not cause Safonov any special problems and he played normally. During the break, the goalkeeper will probably continue to be under the supervision of the medical staff.
precedent
It's not the first time something like this has happened. In 2024, two years ago, Matevz Vidovsek, the 25-year-old goalkeeper for Olimpija in the Conference League, experienced similar moments. The Slovenian goalkeeper suffered a hard hit from the ball during a warm-up after a shot. After a few minutes to recover, Vidovsek then played in the match against Brugge, which was lost 4-1.
