SEVILLA-ALAVÉS
Five injured in heat at Sánchez-Pizjuán - including referee
No fewer than four players were forced off with muscle injuries in Sevilla and Alavés' LaLiga clash on Saturday, before the same fate befell the ref.
Sevilla's 2-1 home victory over Alavés on Saturday afternoon saw each side lose two players to muscle injuries in the intense heat in southern Spain.
Quartet succumb to muscle problems
With temperatures at 31 degrees Celsius in the shade, Samir Nasri and Luciano Vietto both had to be brought off by the hosts shortly after half time.
Earlier, visitors Alavés had been forced to replace Kiko Femenía and Daniel Torres before the LaLiga clash had even reached the half-hour mark.
Ref joins list of casualties
And with fifteen minutes remaining in Seville, referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz completed the cast of the walking wounded at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
Having pulling up with a calf muscle issue, the 39-year-old could not continue and had to be substituted for fourth official Francisco José Hernández Maeso.
Dehydration due to hot conditions is a common cause of muscle injuries.
Ben Yedder brace wins it for Sevilla
Wissam Ben Yedder's double claimed all three points for Sevilla, leaving them provisionally in second in LaLiga.
Víctor Laguardia looked to have earned a draw for Alavés after cancelling out Ben Yedder's opener late on, but the Frenchman won it with a stoppage-time backheel.