The injury to Luca Pfeiffer clouds the joy of SV Darmstadt 98’s victory in Paderborn. Another scene also caused incomprehension
Shortly after the break, the fateful duel took place on the touchline: Luca Pfeiffer and Uwe Hünemeier both went for the ball, the Paderborn defender caught Darmstadt’s attacker full on the foot. Pfeiffer was led off the pitch with a deep flesh wound and a blood-soaked sock.
“You can almost see the bone there,” said the visibly affected Lilien coach Torsten Lieberknecht at the post-match press conference. The wound was stitched with several stitches. Pfeiffer (twelve goals in the season so far) is very likely to miss the last game of the year next Sunday at Jahn Regensburg. Opposite number Hünemeier got off without a caution.
Empathy over Michel’s boarding
It was not the only controversial situation in the match. In the first half, Paderborn’s Sven Michel had rushed into a duel with his former team-mate Klaus Gjasula with his leg outstretched and his sole open, catching him full in the thigh. Referee Daniel Schlager left it at a yellow card.
Initially, there was great indignation in the Darmstadt camp because of the lack of a sending-off. There was also incomprehension that the VAR had not intervened. Lieberknecht himself, however, later kept the ball low. When asked how he saw the two fouls, he replied curtly: “As fouls.
