Como’s attacking plans were disrupted almost as soon as Assane Diao had given the side the lead. The Senegalese winger scored in the 18th minute, but his celebration was overtaken by concern over pain in his left thigh.
Quick facts
- Diao opened the scoring in the 18th minute after collecting a long pass from Ramon.
- He beat Lopez with his run before finishing across goal.
- The winger attempted to continue, but was substituted in the 23rd minute.
- Ice was applied immediately to his left thigh.
- Como are already without Moise Kean, who is recovering from knocks suffered on international duty.
Diao had stretched the game in the way Como had hoped he would, accelerating onto Ramon’s ball and leaving Lopez behind before finding an unstoppable diagonal finish. Yet while the bench celebrated, the forward was already feeling the problem.
He initially tried to play on, but could no longer cope with the discomfort and signalled for a change five minutes after his goal. Cesc Fabregas said Diao felt unable to keep running and would undergo further assessment.
The coach hopes the issue has been caught early, but stressed how important Diao is to the side. Como had prepared the match with the winger at the centre of their approach, and the enforced replacement altered the contest.
There is now doubt over Diao’s availability for the trip to Florence. The situation is more pressing because Kean is also expected to miss that match, with Fabregas describing his absence as a separate issue following several blows received while away with his national team.
Fabregas is aiming to have Kean back within a week for the Champions League meeting with United. For now, however, Como must wait on Diao’s thigh: a fine individual goal has left behind an uncomfortable selection problem at a demanding point in the season.
