It was almost lost in the general derby disappointment on Gladbach’s side: Stefan Lainer celebrated his comeback in the 1:4 in Cologne after a three-month injury break. The most important finding for the Austrian: everything is fine with his ankle again.
When things suddenly went from bad to worse and Cologne went from 1:1 to 3:1 within two minutes, Lainer was busy warming up. From the sidelines, the right-back had to witness how the derby tipped towards the hosts and was pre-decided when he stepped onto the pitch in the 81st minute of the game. The outcome of the prestigious duel was “disappointing for all of us “, Lainer said after the final whistle. “We know how important this game is – for us and the fans. We also dropped three important points. “
Comeback in the final phase
For Lainer it was his first appearance in just over three months. On the second matchday in the 0:4 in Leverkusenthe 29-year-old had broken his ankle in a foul by Mitchel Bakker. After two weeks in team training, coach Adi Hütter felt the time was right to call Lainer back into the squad for the first time in Cologne. And on Saturday he gave him his first minutes of the game in the final phase. “It was a good feeling to be back on the pitch. But of course I would have liked a different result on my comeback,” said Lainer.
We have to look from game to game how many minutes are possible for me.
After all, the international took away from the few minutes of competition the knowledge that the ankle is holding. “My foot has given me the signal that it can bear weight. That worked well “, reported Lainer. However, he was reticent to make any predictions for the next few weeks. “We have to see from game to game how many minutes are possible for me. In any case, it’s important that I go full throttle in training and get my fitness through training. “
