(CNN)Barcelona’s La Liga game against Cadiz on Saturday was temporarily suspended with less than 10 minutes remaining after a fan suffered cardiac arrest in the stands.
Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma drew praise on social media after running across the pitch with a medical kit and throwing it in the stands.
In a statement published on its website on Saturday, Cadiz said the man remained hospitalized.
“One of the medical teams went into the stands with a defibrillator and a monitor and began CPR tasks,” the statement said.
“At the same time, Barcelona offered a second defibrillator should its use be necessary and it was brought to the area by the players themselves.
“Resuscitation was positive after a few minutes and the ventilator was transferred to the intensive care unit at Puerta del Mar Hospital, where he remains hospitalized.
“In addition, one of the Tribune cameramen suffered a fainting spell, which was also quickly treated by the stadium’s medical staff without further consequences.
“The organization would like to thank the fans south of the stadium for their exemplary behavior in dealing with this situation, as well as for the quick action of the security staff and Cruz Roja to ensure that this incident had a happy ending.”
After the game, Barca coach Xavi said: “We all agreed to retire [the game].”
He added: “This kind of thing goes beyond football, we’re talking about a human life here. Luckily they managed to save him.”
After almost an hour, the game resumed. Goals from Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele secured the Catalans a 4-0 win and propelled Xavi’s men to the top of the league after playing a game more than Real Madrid in second place.
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