QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador’s Barcelona de Guayaquil said its 20-year-old substitute goalkeeper Justin Cornejo died on Tuesday. The team, which is scheduled to play a Copa Sudamericana match at home on Wednesday, did not give more details.
“No word or sentence will remove the pain we feel at this moment. The memories you leave to all of us will give us strength to leave this behind,” Barcelona de Guayaquil said on social media. “Justin will always be in our hearts. Rest in peace, friend.”
Earlier, the Ecuadorian club said it had decided to suspend all of its activities as Cornejo was reportedly in critical condition in a hospital.
Local media reported that Cornejo was found unconscious in his bathroom before he was taken to the hospital.
Barcelona and Brazil’s Red Bull Bragantino are scheduled to play the first leg of a Copa Sudamericana playoff. The Brazilian club offered its condolences to the Ecuadorian club in a statement.
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