Tiago breaks leg during Atletico Madrid victory

Madrid: Veteran Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago broke his right leg during Saturday`s 1-0 home win over Espanyol in La Liga.

"He suffered a non-displaced fracture to the middle third of the tibia," second-placed Atletico said in a statement.

Tiago, 34, was carried off in the first half after attempting to tackle Espanyol`s Marco Asensio and taken straight to hospital.

The Portuguese international, who epitomises coach Diego Simeone`s hard-working footballing philosophy, has been a key figure in Atletico`s recent strong run of form but is now expected to be on the sidelines for several months.

Atletico have 29 points from 13 games, four behind leaders Barcelona, and five ahead of Real Madrid who face Eibar on Sunday.