Arne Espeel, a goalkeeper from Belgium, died on Saturday at the age of 25. He had just saved a penalty for an amateur team when he collapsed on the field.
In the second provincial division of West Brabant in Belgium, Winkel Sport B was leading Westrozebeke 2-1 when Westrozebeke was given a penalty in the second half.
Belgian news sources say Espeel saved the penalty kick but fell to the ground right after. Emergency services came quickly to help Espeel. They used a defibrillator to try to bring him back to life, but he was declared dead soon after he was taken to the hospital.
The game took place on the club’s home field in Sint-Eloois-Winkel, which is in the province of West Flanders.
“Winkel Sport is in very deep mourning by the sudden death of Arne Espeel,” the club said in a statement.
“We wish the family and friends of Arne our heartfelt condolences in this heavy loss. Football is an afterthought.”
On Monday, an autopsy was going to be done to find out what caused Espeel’s death.
The Report says that The newspaper Het Nieuwsblad said that on Monday night, more than 1,000 people came to pay tribute to Espeel.
Jessa Martin is the author of Nogmagazine, A professional in writing by day, and novelist by night, she received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University and her master of arts in media studies from the New School. A Brooklyn native, she is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves, most likely multitasking.