The game between Bohemians 1905 and Slovacko in the Czech First League may have ended in a goalless draw but it was Francis Kouassi Kone who emerged an unlikely hero in the game as he saved Martin Berkovec’s life on the pitch following a nasty collision.
In the 29th minute of the game, Berkovec rushed out to the edge of the box to make a headed clearance with Kone on the prowl. The Togolese forward did not commit himself to the challenge but a backtracking defender, Daniel Krch, raced past him to make the clearance, unaware that his own goalkeeper was also coming out to get the ball.
The result was a collision that sent Krch tumbling to the ground while Berkovec ran into the raised arm of the now-stationary Kone. As they both went to ground, it was Kone who recovered first and immediately got back to his feet.
It was then that he realised that something was not quite right and knelt down beside Berkovec who was lying still. Kone immediately pried the goalkeeper’s mouth open and went about pulling his tongue out of his throat before he suffocated as the referee quickly signaled the medical staff to rush to their aid. As Kone attempted to dislodge the tongue, a couple of Berkovec’s teammates arrived to help and rolled him over on his side to aid his breathing.
Berkovec is expected to make a full recovery and even thanked Kone on Facebook, saying: “I would like to thank Francis Kone for rescue at today’s game. I’m glad for the relief and thanks again!”
Amazingly, this isn’t Kone’s first time in pulling out a swallowed tongue. “It has been four times,” he revealed. “Once in Thailand and twice in Africa. I’m always checking the players, to make sure they have not swallowed their tongue.”
Bravo, Kone!
The incident reminds us of the game between Dynamo Kiev and FC Dnipro where Jaba Kankava heroically saved the life of Dynamo's captain Oleg Gusev after a collision with the goalkeeper saw him fall unconscious and swallow his tongue. It was Kankava who saw the danger and immediately knelt down to give him first aid.
