Akinfeev thanks fans after flare incident

Akinfeev was carried off on a stretcher and subsequently taken to hospital following an incident in the first minute of the match in Podgorica, which saw him hit by a flare thrown from the stands.

Play resumed following a lengthy delay, but the Group G clash was subsequently abandoned when further trouble arose during the second half.

The Russian Football Union (RFU) are filing an official protest to UEFA, believing the match should be forfeited by Montenegro.

In a message on the RFU website on Saturday, CSKA Moscow captain Akinfeev reassured fans regarding his condition and said: "I want to say thank you to all those who suffered for me. I feel fine now.

"I hope anything like this in Montenegro, or in any other country in the world, will not happen again."