Footballer, 20, rushed to hospital after smashing head on pitch-side wall in horror collision

THIS is the horror moment a Brazilian footballer smashes his head on a pitch-side wall after going to ground as he competes for the ball with a rival.

Defender Melkzedeck de Sousa Fernandes cheated death after careering face-first into the concrete structure following a tackle as he neared the opposing team’s goal area.

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Melk required treatment following the worrying collision[/caption]

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There was plenty of concern about his wellbeing[/caption]

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An ambulance was called to the scene[/caption]

The match was stopped as players rushed to his aid fearing he had suffered serious injury and things could turn worse.

The footballer, better known by his shortened name of Melk, was stretchered away and taken to hospital in an ambulance.

His club Atletico Piauiense went on to reveal the 20-year-old’s facial wound had required stitches but medics had told them after tests they couldn’t see any evidence pointing to him suffering any serious lasting effects.

The drama happened during the team’s away match yesterday against Parnahyba Sport Club in Brazil’s Serie D league.

Footage of the horror incident showed Melk, wearing the number 22 shirt, bringing his right hand to his head as he lay semi-conscious on the ground after his brutal collision.

Rivals including the defender who had beaten him to the ball as he neared the opposing team’s goal joined in the urgent calls for an ambulance, which drove onto the pitch moments later so it could stretcher the injured player away.

Melk was clearly conscious but dazed as he was put into the back of the ambulance with blood coming from a wound to the side of his head.

Atletico Piauiense, who won the match 3-1, said in a statement on their social media overnight: “Melk was admitted to the Dirceu Arcoverde Hospital where he was treated and given stitches.

“He is conscious and doing okay.

“We’re continuing to monitor his evolution and giving him all the support he needs.”

Fans and well-wishers reacted by offering the player their support.

While another added: “That wall needs to be removed from where it is.”

In 2015 an Argentinian footballer died after crashing into a pitch-side wall during a game.

The Argentinian FA began demanding walls by pitches were covered with cushioned protective sheeting after the tragedy involving Emanuel Ortega.

The 21-year-old footballer, who was playing for fourth-tier side San Martin de Burzaco in the north-west Argentina region of Jujuy, lost his fight for life in May 2015 after 11 days in hospital.

He was in an induced coma at the time after surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.

The wall he smashed into divided the pitch from the stands. He hit the back of his head as he lost his balance and went to ground following a tackle from a rival player who was the first to react and call for help for the unconscious footballer.