If Liverpool fans didn’t already hate Sergio Ramos, this should do the trick.

The Champions League final saw one of the greatest goals in recent history, with Gareth Bale coming off the bench to score an overhead kick, but it will always be remembered for the goalkeeping shockers from Loris Karius.

He was at fault for two of the goals – not just a little, but singlehandedly at fault – and will be the subject of ridicule for the rest of his career.

But, and this is a big but, was he suffering from a concussion during the match? According to those at Massachusetts General Hospital, he was.

More from ESPN:

“After carefully reviewing game film and integrating a detailed history — including his reported present and immediate post-contact subjective symptoms — physical examination and objective metrics, we have concluded that Mr. Karius sustained a concussion during the match,” Mass General said in a statement.

“At the time of our evaluation, Mr. Karius’s principal residual symptoms and objective signs suggested that visual spatial dysfunction existed and likely occurred immediately following the event. Additional symptomatic and objectively noted areas of dysfunction also persisted. It could be possible that such deficits would affect performance.”

Well, his performance was certainly dysfunctional so they’ve got that bit right.

Let’s talk numbers – in the 48th minute, Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, who had already sent Mo Salah from the field clutching his shoulder in tears, collided with Karius.

Less than two minutes later, Karius had his first howler of the night, his attempt to roll the ball out leading to Karim Benzema’s goal.

Immediate impact, Sergio.

Here’s the moment everyone is putting under the microscope, and even though footballers will writhe around in agony for just about anything, there does look to be decent contact:

I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not that’s enough to warrant the howlers, but here’s more from the medical experts:

Karius flew to the U.S. on holiday on his return to England, but with the club determined to safeguard the player’s well-being, he was sent to Boston to visit a specialist — Dr. Ross Zafonte — at Mass General on May 31 at the behest of the Anfield medical team, rather than at the request of the goalkeeper, a source said.

“Karius has reported significant and steady improvement since the concussive event, and we expect him to make a full recovery based on the results of the examination,” the doctor’s statement added. “We expect that with treatment and by following prescribed activity protocols he will continue to improve. We have encouraged vigilance and an emphasis on safety in his eventual return to full activity.”

It’s worth mentioning that Dr Ross Zafonte isn’t just any old bloke, but rather “a leading authority on the treatment of NFL players who have suffered head trauma”.

There’s also an interesting Twitter thread here by Ross Tucker, a sports science expert, about how these doctors might just have a point.

Unnamed sources suggest the ‘keeper sought their help on the advice of Liverpool’s Boston-based owners, Fenway Sports Group.

Karius may return to “full activity” in due course, but he’ll never live down what happened that night. It’s not going to make Liverpool fans trust him between the sticks, either, so I reckon his time at Anfield has come to an end.

Oh, and if I was Sergio Ramos I wouldn’t book a holiday to the UK any time soon.

[source:espn]