Eduardo Berizzo: Sevilla manager told players he had cancer at half-time of 3-3 draw with Liverpool

Sevilla have issued an official statement regarding the health of head coach Eduardo Berizzo on Wednesday, after he revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer midway through Tuesday's 3-3 draw with Liverpool.

The Andalusian club confirmed that Berizzo, who masterminded a spectacular Champions League comeback when his side were 3-0 down at home to draw 3-3, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

A club statement read: “The medical services of Sevilla FC report that the coach of the first team, Eduardo Berizzo, has been diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma (malignant tumour) of the prostate .

“The future examinations will allow us to decide which are the steps to follow regarding the treatment.”

The news regarding Berizzo's health broke on the same night his side recovered from a 3-0 deficit at half time to draw 3-3 with Group E rivals Liverpool at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

A Yassim Ben Yedder brace pulled the hosts back in to the contest before Guido Pizarro levelled in stoppage time, which led the Sevilla players to pointedly celebrate with Berizzo on touchline.

It is expected that the 48-year-old Argentine coach, who led Celta Vigo to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, will undergo treatment for the condition at a later and as yet unknown date.

Berizzo only told his players of his illness at half-time of Tuesday's encounter, with the Spanish club producing a magnificent comeback that rivalled Liverpool's own stirring result in the form of the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, when they famously fought back from 3-0 down to triumph in a penalty shootout.

After the final whistle on Tuesday, Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega spoke of how Berizzo had inspired their performance and said the coach could rely on the total support of his players.

“It was a crazy game. We went into the changing rooms knowing that if we tried then we could pull it off. That’s how we have to play every game.

“We have to go out there with that attitude, for the fans that always back us and for the coach who has turned this around.

“He is the most important of all of us, he has on the right path and we are with him to the hilt.”