Home United goalkeeper Hassan Sunny is in serious doubt for Singapore's next AFC Asian Cup qualifier in September after finding himself in hospital after an S.League game on Friday night.
Home's crucial 2-0 victory over Albirex Niigata (S) on Friday night was overshadowed by a serious injury to club captain Hassan, the nation's first-choice keeper.
The 33-year-old sustained heavy head trauma, a broken nose and a dislocated right shoulder after an horrific clash of heads with Albirex left-back Naofumi Tanaka.
Hassan had come off his line in the 39th minute to punch clear Kento Nagasaki's free kick, but felt the full force of Tanaka's attempted header as a result.
Both players stayed down, with Hassan seemingly coming off worse as he required a neck brace and an oxygen mask before being rushed to hospital.
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Tanaka was also stretchered off and taken to hospital, due to the impact.
Following scans at Raffles Hospital, doctors determined that there is no bleeding in Hassan's brain, which was the biggest initial worry.
The Singapore No. 1 further underwent MRI scans to rule out any spinal or nerve damage.
Hassan's condition is stable, although he is still in some pain as he recuperates in hospital for the next few days.
The impact of the injury means he is likely to be out of action for two to three months, which puts his participation in Singapore's home qualifier against Turkmenistan on Sep. 5 in doubt.
Hassan hopes to get back to the field as soon as possible, but does not want to rush the recovery process.
"For now, I'm not thinking too far ahead. The most important thing is to recover well more than anything else," the former Army United custodian told ESPN FC.
"I'm proud that my team stood strong [without me] to get a crucial win against Albirex. Like I told them before the game, we need to win to get a step closer to them and boost our title chances."
Former Young Lions stopper Rudy Khairullah, who replaced Hassan after the injury against Albirex and kept a clean sheet, is likely to deputise in goal for Home United.
Home's next S.League game will be a televised match against Hougang United at Jalan Besar Stadium next Friday.