A Spanish second-division football match ended in tragedy after Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died following an on-pitch collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono.
The incident occurred during a league fixture at Tenerife's Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López. FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono is deeply affected by the outcome.
The On-Pitch Collision
Tenerife and FC Andorra were drawing 2-2 seven minutes into stoppage time when the collision happened. Owono ran towards the centre circle to clear a long ball. His knee appeared to collide with De Miguel at force.
The 30-year-old Tenerife striker lay motionless on the pitch. Medical staff treated De Miguel after he suffered a cardiac arrest. He was taken by ambulance to hospital, where he died the following day.
Owono was sent off, and the match was abandoned.
Teammate Defends Goalkeeper
Owono deactivated his Instagram account, which had over 30,000 followers, after receiving online abuse. FC Andorra confirmed that psychological support is available for anyone at the club who needs it.
Andorra centre-back Lautaro Spatz defended the 25-year-old goalkeeper on social media.
Spatz wrote: "I also want to say a few words about my teammate, goalkeeper and friend, who is deeply affected by what has happened. Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment, and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone."
He added: "In football, unfortunate incidents can happen, but no one could imagine that one of them might end with such tragic consequences."
The Equatoguinean Football Federation issued a statement supporting Owono, who has made 47 international appearances for Equatorial Guinea. The federation stated that Owono is experiencing a situation of profound sorrow and grief.
Official Investigation and Tributes
Spanish national police opened a routine investigation into the death. Under Spanish law, a non-natural death automatically triggers a judicial inquiry.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui stated that criminal proceedings are very unlikely.
Tenerife declared six official days of mourning and suspended all club activities. De Miguel, a father-of-one who joined Tenerife in summer 2025, will have his funeral in Navahermosa, Toledo. A minute's silence was observed at European matches across the week.
Barcelona forward Raphinha spoke about the tragedy following his team's Champions League match against Aston Villa.
Raphinha said: "I want to send a lot of strength to the family of Jesús. Today I'm not going to talk about football. For me, the truth is it was quite difficult. After seeing the news, of course I didn't have good feelings. He's a fellow player and it could have happened to anyone, it could have happened to me.
He was the same age as me, I don't know if that's why it affected me more. It's been a difficult day. Personally, it touched me a lot."
