Konoplya suffers knee injury in friendly

Borussia Mönchengladbach secured a 2-1 win over Rot-Weiss Essen in a pre-season friendly, but the victory came at a cost for Ukrainian defender Yukhym Konoplya. Konoplya started the match but was forced off in the 12th minute after a knee problem. Teammates immediately signaled to the bench that the situation was serious, and after receiving initial treatment, the full-back limped from the field. Head coach Eugen Polanski addressed the injury after the game: "It's hard to give an exact diagnosis right after the game. But if you know how tough he is and he says he can't continue, then he really can't. I hope it's not too serious. He feels discomfort in the inner ligament. It doesn't necessarily mean something serious, but for now it's not the best news." Konoplya joined Gladbach as a free agent in late May after leaving Shakhtar Donetsk. He had already made a successful debut in a previous friendly against Wuppertal, which Borussia won 6-0. The extent of the injury and recovery timeline will be determined after further medical tests.