Nigeria international striker Taiwo Awoniyi will wear a face mask following a fractured nose sustained in a collision with Exeter City goalkeeper Joe Whitworth during the FA Cup fourth-round match in Devon on Tuesday.
Awoniyi was stretchered off the pitch, and the game was delayed as he received treatment. Concerns were raised about a potential neck injury, and the Nigerian forward was applauded off the field by both sets of fans.
After the match, manager Nuno confirmed that while the injury was painful, it wasn’t as severe as initially feared. “It was a concussion and a broken nose,” the Portuguese coach said.
“He was in a lot of pain, but he has a smile on his face because he scored and did an amazing job for us. We’re delighted for him to get that goal.”
Sources close to the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner told NationSports that Awoniyi has recovered from the injury and is likely to wear a face mask when he returns to action.
“We thank God, Taiwo is fine after the scary injury,” a source close to the player revealed.
“He’s a strong-minded person, and with God on his side, there’s little to worry about. He should be able to play with a face mask once he’s ready.”
Should Awoniyi choose to wear a mask, it would echo the decision made by his Super Eagles teammate, Victor Osimhen, who began wearing a face mask after suffering a fractured eye socket in a Serie A match between Napoli and Inter Milan in November 2021.
Napoli’s chief doctor, Roberto Ruggiero, explained that Osimhen’s continued use of the mask was a personal choice. “Osimhen is perfectly healed; he still wears the protective mask because it gives him a sense of security, but he’s healed.
He has his own balance and wants to wear it,” Ruggiero said in 2022. “Hopefully, this mask will be enough until he feels safe and takes it off.”
Osimhen later confirmed that he would continue wearing the mask for the rest of his career. “I actually have screws that pass through my jaw inside my mouth,” he explained on Lagos-based Sports Radio Station, Brila FM, in 2024.
“The last match I played — against Cagliari — when I headed the ball, I had blood on my face, and the goalkeeper also hit my face, causing blood to leak even with the mask on.”
“For me, it’s really dangerous to play without the mask,” Osimhen added.
