Super Eagles Captain John Obi Mikel was in action for full 90 minutes Saturday as Middlesbrough were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Leeds united at the Riverside Stadium.
Leeds player Jack Clarke collapsed in the dugout and was given oxygen before he was rushed to the hospital. Coach Marcelo Bielsa confirmed Clarke, 18, was taken ill on the bench, prompting the game to be stopped for around 10 minutes.
Clarke, who had played the first half, was given an oxygen mask before being taken to the dressing room — where he felt better — and then hospital.
Play was halted on 82 minutes with Middlesbrough 1-0 up and the incident led to 12 minutes of injury time being added.
And during that time Bielsa’s side found an equaliser through Kalvin Philips.
A club statement said: “Jack Clarke began to feel unwell during the second half of our Sky Bet Championship fixture with Middlesbrough and received medical attention.
“The player is responsive and attending hospital with the club’s head of medicine and performance. “On behalf of everyone at Leeds United, we would like to thank the medical staff from both clubs for their response to the incident.”
Meanwhile, Mikel has now featured in three games for his new club Middlesbrough. The first for the Nigerian captain was in the 1-1 in FA Cup tie against Newport, the second was a 3-2 away win over West Brom while his third outing is Saturday 1-1 home draw against Leeds united. The former Chelsea star was not listed in Middlesbrough’s second FA Cup return leg that ended 2-0 in favour of Newport County.