Belgian goalkeeper Arne Espeel dies aged 25 moments after saving penalty

His save came with his second provincial division of West Brabant team ahead 2-1 against Westrozebeke in the second half. He went down as he tried to chase a rebound.

The exact cause of death for the "dearly loved" 25-year-old has not yet been announced, with results from an autopsy on Monday not publicly released.

Espeel's sudden death traumatised the team, said assistant Stefaan Dewerchin.

"The ball was still in play," he said. "Our goalkeeper got up as fast as possible to receive the ball, but then he fell. It was really terrible to watch. All the players showered together after the incident. When the message came that our goalkeeper was dead, it was an unusually heavy blow. I think some players still don't realise exactly what happened."

Sporting director Patrick Rotsaert added to Het Nieuwsblad: "It's a tragedy and a shock to us. Arne had been with the club his whole life, and he was dearly loved. It's a really hard blow."