Daniel Sturridge 'devastated' as Hugo Ekitike injury leaves World Cup in doubt

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge was "devastated" after Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off in the first half of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool hosted PSG on Tuesday with a 2-0 deficit in the tie, and head coach Arne Slot named a bold starting lineup with Ekitike and Alexander Isak both in the team. Bizarrely, Slot admitted before kickoff that Isak wouldn't play for more than 45 minutes, instantly exposing his tactics.

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With Isak still not 100 percent fit, things went from bad to worse as Ekitike suffered a non-contact injury and was stretchered off. During Amazon's broadcast of the game, Sturridge said he was praying for the French striker with the World Cup just weeks away.

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• Hugo Ekitike stretchered off as Liverpool star injured without contact

Ekitike appeared to have injured his right ankle after slipping in the 27th minute and stayed down, but he was also seen clutching his Achilles. He received medical treatment on the field, but was then stretchered off at Anfield.

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Mohamed Salah, who started on the bench ahead of possibly his final Champions League game for Liverpool, then came on to replace him. Sturridge, who suffered several injury setbacks during his career, felt awful for Ekitike.

"I am honestly so devastated for him," Sturridge said. "I can't imagine what his emotions are like right now, but it looks to be a bad one. Praying for him, of course.

"Moments like this are moments, as football players, you never wanna feel. I feel so sorry for him right now; it's a big shame."

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It was a major blow for Liverpool, losing its most in-form striker on a night where goals were needed to overturn a 2-0 deficit. For Ekitike personally, the severity of the injury could hinder his World Cup hopes.

Ekitike has recently forced his way into the France national team, and with 16 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season, his selection has been deserved. Ekitike will now face an anxious wait to see how serious his ankle injury is.

The Liverpool forward scored in France's 2-1 win against Brazil last month, which was held in Boston at one of the venues for the FIFA World Cup. Ekitike wasn't the only World Cup contender to be forced off due to injury.

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PSG defender Nuno Mendes was substituted before halftime with an unknown injury. Mendes is a key player for PSG and Portugal, and will also undergo an evaluation.

Liverpool proceeded to pressure PSG without Ekitike on the field, but struggled to find the breakthrough. In the second half, Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring with a stunning finish into the bottom-left corner and made it a brace in injury time.

With Liverpool's run in the Champions League over, its primary focus will be finishing inside the top five in the Premier League standings. With six games remaining, Liverpool has a four-point advantage over sixth spot.

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