26th matchday
Leverkusen (dpa) – The guest curve cheered the derby winners, at Bayer 04 Leverkusen the great concern for Florian Wirtz was confirmed and increased the frustration after the defeat.
The 18-year-old tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as the Werkself drew 1-0 (0-0) against 1. FC Köln and will be out for months. After less than half an hour, Wirtz had to be carried off the pitch and taken to the hospital. A MRT examination brought the devastating result for the huge talent.
The serious injury also caused dismay for national coach Hansi Flick. “Florian Wirtz is one of the greatest talents that German football has produced in recent years,” said Flick in a post on the DFB website: “So we were all shocked when we found out about his cruciate ligament tear. I I’ve already spoken to him on the phone and tried to give him courage.” Wirtz is “still young, he’ll come back at least as strong, I’m quite sure of that,” emphasized Flick: “He gets our full support.”
“All in all, a bitter afternoon for us,” said Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane shortly after the game and before the diagnosis. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s not a serious injury. Get well soon, Florian,” the national team tweeted.
Match winner Schindler: “Three great points”
Coach Steffen Baumgart’s team from Cologne happily defeated their Rhenish rivals, Kingsley Schindler scored the goal in the 67th minute in front of 22,658 spectators and fueled the hopes of FC fans for European Cup nights. “Three great points,” Schindler said on DAZN after his first goal in the Bundesliga. Due to the success, the Cologne team passed 1. FC Union Berlin in the table and are now seventh.
Bayer 04 lost a home game for the first time since October 2021. Three days after the 2-3 defeat in the Europa League at Atalanta Bergamo, Leverkusen didn’t look tired at all. The third-placed team was the better team for a long time, but missed the opening goal.
Both teams led the prestigious duel robustly and quickly from the start. There was hardly any ball attachment in midfield, instead it went forward as quickly as possible. Bayer created two great chances early on before Wirtz was shocked. In a duel with Luca Kilian, his left foot got stuck in the grass and twisted his knee. He hit the lawn several times in pain and waved the supervisors over to him.
Wirtz loudly insulted by the guest fans
The former Cologne resident was loudly insulted from the guest curve before and during the long treatment break. When the sign came for substitution, mocking applause spread from parts of the FC fans. “That’s not okay. That’s not okay. That’s unnecessary,” emphasized Baumgart.
Amine Adli replaced the highly talented teenager Wirtz. Seoane had previously had to replace Jeremie Frimpong through injury, and Odilon Kossounou was also out at half-time. “Obviously we are all very disappointed with the three injuries and the defeat,” said Seoane.
Despite the weaknesses, Leverkusen was the better team in what was now an increasingly hectic game with many discussions. Although Cologne held up well in the duels, they were harmless up front. A long-range shot by Florian Kainz, which didn’t pose any problems for Bayer keeper Lukas Hradecky, and FC didn’t do much more on the offensive until half-time. Top striker Anthony Modeste had the Leverkusen defenders well under control.
Even after the change of sides, Bayer 04 remained the stronger team. The Werkself put on the pressure, but didn’t create many really clear chances for a long time – and when they did, the strong Swabian was there. FC, on the other hand, was efficient up front: Substitute Schindler used one of the few attacks to score the winning goal. “We already know that it was tight at times,” said Cologne coach Baumgart. “Both teams gave it their all with the better end for us.”