DR Congo star N'Sakala stable after collapse on pitch during Besiktas vs Gaziantep FK

DR Congo international Fabrice N'Sakala is stable in hospital after collapsing during Besiktas’ Turkish Super Lig encounter against Gaziantep FK on Saturday.

The 31-year-old went down during the second half of the keenly contested affair and required extensive medical attention on the pitch before he was taken off the field of play.

After the left-back was taken to hospital, Besiktas posted a photo of him on social media which confirmed that N’Sakala was awake and undergoing further examinations.

A tweet from the Turkish side had stated that the former Anderlecht and Alanyaspor star had no respiratory problems.

According to reports per Goal Turkey , N'Sakala is now able to speak to his teammates normally.

The game at the Gaziantep Arena was initially suspended before it was later restarted after referee Umit Ozturk consulted managers Erol Bulut and Sergen Yalcin.

The African star was substituted for Ridvan Yilmaz in the 76th minute as the Week Two fixture ended 0-0.

N'Sakala came up through the Troyes academy before he was handed his first professional contract by the French side in 2008.

His exploits at the Stade de l'Aube earned him a move to Belgian First Division A side Anderlecht on August 29, 2013, for an undisclosed fee.

Four years later, he joined Alanyaspor on a permanent transfer after spending the previous season on loan at the Bahcesehir Okulları Stadium.

Following the completion of his contract in the city of Alanya, N’Sakala teamed up with Besiktas in 2020. In his maiden season, the Congolese left-back featured in 29 league matches with a goal to his credit.

On the international scene, he represented France at U17, U18, U19 and U21 level before switching his allegiance to DR Congo in 2015.

He featured in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations as Florent Ibenge’s Leopards bowed out in the quarter-final after losing 2-1 to Ghana at the Stade d'Oyem.

All things being equal, N’Sakala could return to action when the reigning Turkish champions square up against Fatih Karagumruk on August 28.

As things stand, the Istanbul-based side occupy the second spot in the log having accrued four points from two games – two points behind leaders Altay.