In the first round of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid defeated Marseille 2-1 at home, securing a winning start to their new Champions League campaign. However, during this match, Real Madrid defender Trent Arnold, who started the game, had to leave the field due to injury just 3 minutes into the contest.
For the match against Marseille, Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso made one adjustment from the previous game: starting Arnold at right-back. The English player kicked off his new Champions League campaign as a starter and had a slight edge in the competition with Dani Carvajal. But the joy was short-lived – only three minutes into the match, he suddenly reached out to hold his lower back and fell to the ground in pain. It was clear he could no longer continue due to the injury. After a brief warm-up on the sidelines, Carvajal hurried onto the field as a substitute.
Arnold will undergo detailed examinations in the next few days, but his physical reaction at the moment of injury suggests an unoptimistic outlook. Such typical sudden pain and injuries usually require a recovery period of at least four weeks – and that is under the most ideal estimation. For Real Madrid, which is about to face a grueling fixture schedule, Alonso's team selection has undoubtedly suffered a major blow: the White Blancos need to tackle 6 tough matches (including the Champions League game against Marseille) in 18 days.
After the match, when asked about Arnold's injury at the post-match press conference, Real Madrid manager Alonso said: “We need to wait a bit longer; it might not be as serious as it looks... We need to be creative when looking for solutions. Marco Asensio performed brilliantly after coming on, and Eduardo Camavinga and Jude (Bellingham) are set to return – they will be available on Saturday.”
It is worth noting that Arnold did not report to the England national team during the previous international break, nor was he in the starting lineup for the league match against Real Sociedad last Saturday. Therefore, muscle fatigue is not the cause of this injury.
