Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been left devastated by the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel following a collision during a Spanish second-division match, his teammate Lautaro Spatz said Wednesday.

De Miguel, 30, died Tuesday after suffering serious injuries in a collision with Owono during Monday’s match between Tenerife and Andorra.

Spatz, an Andorra defender, paid tribute to De Miguel in a social media post while defending his teammate, who has faced scrutiny following the incident.

“I also want to say a few words about my teammate, goalkeeper and friend, who is deeply affected by what has happened,” Spatz wrote.

“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.”

“In football, unfortunate incidents can happen but no one could imagine that one of them might end with such tragic consequences.”

The collision occurred seven minutes into stoppage time, with the teams tied 2-2, when Owono rushed toward the center circle to clear a long ball and his knee appeared to strike De Miguel.

The striker was left motionless on the pitch and received emergency medical treatment before being taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Owono was shown a red card, and the match was subsequently abandoned.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper, who has made 47 international appearances for Equatorial Guinea, has since deactivated his Instagram account.

Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter following De Miguel’s death. Under Spanish law, deaths considered non-natural automatically trigger a judicial inquiry. (AA)