Kovač on Couto horror tackle: “I’ve never seen anything like it before”

The full-back fell victim to a studs-up challenge which connected directly below the Brazilian’s knee.

Although Borussia Dortmund advanced in the DfB-Pokal against Rot-Weiss Essen tonight, the result may have come with an additional injury blow. 

As the clock ticked deep into the 94th-minute of injury time, Essen’s Kelsey Owusu caught Yan Couto with a reckless challenge. Head coach Niko Kovač gave an update on the Brazilian.

“He’s in a lot of pain. That was a pretty hard kick. I’ve never seen anything like it before. He’s doubled over in pain. He’s got an ice pack on there, of course.

“Tomorrow we’ll examine what happened. For now, I hope nothing’s broken. But it’s certainly clear to everyone that it’s definitely a bad bruise.

“I’m sure he didn’t do it intentionally. But he has no chance at all; the ball is gone, and it goes straight to his knee. That’s already beyond the pale,” Kovač told Sky Germany.

The Essen substitute Owusu has since apologised for the awfully timed tackle, but was also subjected to racist abuse via social media – an unsavoury theme across this Pokal first-round.