football player-injury

▲ Kim Jin-su of South Korea (L) is treated for a facial injury after colliding with teammate Lee Jae-sung during a friendly football match against El Salvador at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Jin-su of South Korea (R) heads to the sidelines after sustaining a facial injury in a collision with teammate Lee Jae-sung during a friendly football match against El Salvador at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

football player-injury

Nat'l football team defender Kim Jin-su likely out 2 months with orbital fracture

By Yoo Jee-ho

DAEJEON, June 21 (Yonhap) -- Veteran South Korean left back Kim Jin-su will be sidelined for about two months after suffering an orbital fracture during a friendly match against El Salvador on Tuesday.

Kim sustained the facial injury in an inadvertent collision with teammate Lee Jae-sung late in the first half at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon.

Kim briefly moved to the sidelines to get treatment and came back on, before being subbed out in the 58th minute. Kim's face was badly swollen by then, and he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital.

Kim told reporters after the 1-1 draw that he'd been diagnosed with the orbital fracture. It's the latest setback for a tough-luck 31-year-old who has had his share of bad breaks.

"I thought there was no part of my body left to get hurt," Kim said. "And then I picked up this facial injury. It's really disappointing, and I feel bad for my family."

Kim said he was told that he would need about two months to recover.

"At least I won't be out that long," Kim added.

The national team won't play again until September and won't miss Kim in the meantime. It's a different story for Kim's K League 1 club, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

After a sluggish start that cost head coach Kim Sang-sik his job, Jeonbuk has come on strong of late to climb out of the relegation zone and into fifth place. They recently hired Romanian Dan Petrescu as their new bench boss, and Kim, who brings some offensive chops on the left side, would have been an integral part of Jeonbuk's summer surge.

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