Belgian goalkeeper Arne Espeel died on Saturday after collapsing on the pitch just seconds after making a save on a penalty kick. He was 25. Espeel's team, Winkel Sport B, was leading Westrozebeke 2-1 early in the second half when Westrozebeke was awarded a penalty kick.
Espeel made the save, but fell to the ground right after recording the key stop. The match was immediately stopped as emergency personnel rushed onto the pitch and used a defibrillator on Espeel. He was then taken to a local hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead.
"Winkel Sport is in very deep mourning by the sudden death of Arne Espeel," the club said in a statement. "We wish family and friends of Arne our heartfelt condolences in this heavy loss. Football is an afterthought."
An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on Monday in order to determine his cause of death. The results have not yet been made public. According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, more than 1,000 people, including Espeel's family, came to Sint-Eloois-Winkel to honor him on Monday night.
The match was being played at Sint-Eloois-Winkel, which is Winkel Sport B's home stadium in the West Flander Province of Belgium. The team plays in the second provincial division of West Brabant in Belgium.
