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Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s face was bloodied after being hit by an opponent’s cleat in the team’s 4-2 Ligue 1 win over Monaco on Wednesday.

The Italy international took the studs of Wilfried Singo‘s cleat in the 17th minute at the Stade Louis II.

Singo, whose shot had been blocked, tried to jump over the sliding Donnarumma but instead struck his face.

Pictures showed that Donnarumma was cut below his right eye. Singo, who had already been warned, was lucky to avoid a red card.

Donnarumma was left lying on the pitch while receiving treatment. He finally stood up and walked away to be replaced by Matvei Safonov.

After the game, PSG said in a statement: “Gianluigi Donnarumma will return to Paris with the team this evening after suffering a facial trauma with multiple cuts. He will undergo medical examinations tomorrow and will have to rest for several days.”

PSG manager Luis Enrique would not criticise referee Francois Letexier after the match for not issuing Singo a card of any kind.

“The refereeing decisions? I can’t do anything, I couldn’t see the action, but when you see an action like that it’s always difficult,” he said in a post-match interview. “The players don’t intend to hurt. It’s difficult to referee this kind of match, I’m not talking about the refereeing work.”

The win puts Luis Enrique’s PSG 10 points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table, but the capital club is struggling in the new format of the Champions League and is currently outside the spots to advance with two games left to play.

Monaco remained in third place, level on points with second-place Marseille, which has one match in hand.

The match was brought forward because of a scheduling conflict with the Trophée des Champions between the two clubs on Jan. 5 in Doha during the weekend that the French league resumes.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Vinícius Júnior believes he and the other “chosen ones” of Real Madrid have met one of the demands of the most successful club in the world after winning the Intercontinental Cup.

The Brazil international scored one goals and set up another as Madrid beat Mexico’s Pachuca 3-0 in the final on Wednesday. Madrid qualified for the tournament by winning the Champions League last season.

“The team has lived up to what history demands of them, which is winning big titles,” Vinícius said after the win. “Not any player can wear this jersey, they don’t all get the chance to play for the best team in the world. We’re the chosen ones, it’s a unique feeling very few players have been able to enjoy.”

Vinícius, 24, was named player of the match in the success against Pachuca to cap off a successful week for Vinícius, who won FIFA’s The Best men’s player of the year award on Tuesday.

“It’s been a beautiful week, really special for me,” he said.

Vinícius lost out to Manchester City midfielder Rodri for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award in October, but he appears to have put that disappointment behind him.

“An award in which people chose not to vote for me won’t change what I think or what my teammates tell me every day,” he said. “I’m here to play for them and do my best for this jersey, the greatest in the world. I arrived at Real Madrid, the best club in the world, and I was undermined for a long time but I’ve never let my head drop, I just kept working hard.

“We always want to be at the top … we’ve been crowned the best club in the world. I hope we can keep it up for a long time to come and continue making history in these colours.”

Vinícius also hailed teammate Kylian Mbappé, who scored Madrid’s opener on Wednesday via an assist from the Brazilian.

“I’m a huge fan of his,” Vinícius said of the France star. “I sent him loads of messages [earlier this year] because I always dreamed of playing with him, he’s a fantastic player. We’ve admired each other for a long time. We have a wonderful group, we all love each other very much, there’s no vanity here. We’re here to put Real Madrid at the top, where it should always be.”

Madrid also won the European Super Cup in August and are third in LaLiga, one point adrift of leaders Barcelona but with a game in hand.