Bielefeld (dpa) – The relegation battle was suddenly very far away after the game. Although neither Arminia Bielefeld nor VfB Stuttgart had made a significant step towards relegation, the concern for Fabian Klos overshadowed all sporting needs.
“It gives you chills down your spine. Of course you’re shocked when you see something like that,” said Bielefeld coach Frank Kramer, who reported the mood in the dressing room was depressed.
Klos and teammate Alessandro Schöpf had hit their heads shortly before the end of the game. Schöpf got back up quickly, Klos was taken from the field on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. He suffered a serious head injury, as Arminia announced on Sunday.
Kalajdzic rushes to help
Among the numerous protagonists who wished the Bielefeld cult striker “get well soon” was Stuttgart’s goalscorer Sasa Kalajdzic. The 24-year-old not only proved his nerves of steel when he took the penalty to make it 1-0 on Saturday, but also his qualities as a helpful sportsman after Klos’ collision.
Kalajdzic rushed to meet the paramedics, took the stretcher from them and sprinted to Klos. “Sasa just went too slowly. Since he probably felt superior to the paramedics in terms of speed, he accelerated it,” Kramer described the scene and thanked them.
Not Klos’ first head injury
The Arminia coach felt reminded of October 2013 when Klos was injured. “Pretty brutal when you also know the history – the injury he had a couple of years ago,” he said. “That’s pretty awesome.” Klos had severely injured his face at the time. After a collision in a header duel, he underwent facial surgery, and his frontal and eye sockets were also affected.
Not only Kramer is now hoping that Klos will recover quickly. Health is “the most important thing. That always comes first,” said the 49-year-old. According to the club, Klos will be out “indefinitely”.
Arminia further behind Stuttgart
The club’s record goalscorer, who is leaving Arminia at the end of the season after eleven years, was substituted on for the last half hour to turn the game around for Bielefeld. The fact that it was a draw after Florian Krüger, who scored for the first time in the Bundesliga, was a happy result for Arminia in view of the opportunities and shares in the game. “That was two points too few for the chances we had,” said Stuttgart coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.
In the table, Bielefeld remains one point behind Stuttgart. Only the better goal difference separates Arminia from a direct relegation zone. The Swabians have scored a remarkable eight points from the past four games. Bielefeld at least ended their negative run after four defeats in a row without scoring their own goal.
Most of the Armins also rated the result positively – despite the missed opportunity to overtake VfB. “We hope that this point will give us a boost,” said goalscorer Krüger. First of all, he and his colleagues are hoping for a speedy recovery from Fabian Klos.