Murillo sends heartfelt message to Nottingham Forest teammate Taiwo Awoniyi
Murillo sent a heartfelt message of support to Nottingham Forest teammate Taiwo Awoniyi on social media.
Much of the post-match discourse following the Tricky Trees’ 2-2 draw with Leicester was centred around Evangelos Marinakis entering the pitch to confront Nuno Espirito Santo.
Forest had failed to capitalise on Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle, as a win would have lifted the Midlands side back into contention for a spot in next year’s Champions League.
But as the dust settled, the focus shifted to an injury to their Nigerian forward, and it has since emerged that Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in a medically induced coma after colliding with the goal frame.
The former Liverpool man suffered an abdominal injury that required several days’ worth of surgery [BBC Sport].
Murillo sends message to injury-stricken Taiwo Awoniyi
Following news of Awoniyi’s injury, Murillo took to Instagram to share a story with a message that reads: “God bless you bro”.
The Nigerian striker was making his 23rd substitute appearance of the season against the Foxes and was introduced in the 83rd minute as the Garibaldis went in search of a winner.
Rule change called for after Taiwo Awoniyi suffers serious injury
Football Insider Verdict
Since the introduction of VAR and subsequently the delayed flags for offside calls from assistant referees, many have cautioned that it could lead to a serious and avoidable injury.
And it has now happened. Awoniyi collided with the post attempting to score a goal that never would have counted.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb is now under serious pressure to figure out a solution as VAR once again proves to be more of a hindrance than a benefit.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Awoniyi |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes | 400 |
While it’s likely the rules will remain the same on tight offside calls, there is no reason for assistants not to raise their flags when it’s a clear offside, as it was on Sunday.
As the old saying goes, health and safety rules are written in blood and now is the time for Webb to take action and show that player welfare is the ultimate priority.