“As bad as it looked”: Bad injury overshadows VfB victory


“As bad as it looked”
Bad injury overshadows VfB runaway victory

VfB Stuttgart can celebrate a lot of goals and look forward to the league lead in the Bundesliga. But the afternoon does not end perfectly, the shock of the serious injury of a young striker is mixed with the joy.

At VfB Stuttgart everything could be fine after the first matchday of the 59th season of the Bundesliga: 18,109 spectators in the stadium, sunshine, a great atmosphere and a 5-1 (2-0) win over promoted Greuther Fürth, with which the Swabians made the league leaders. “It was fun, we don’t have to talk about it,” said VfB sporting director Sven Mislintat at Sky and, by the way, wanted to “don’t want to put the brakes on euphoria,” then with a smile, “but it does”. Above all, one bad scene cast a long shadow over the splendid afternoon of the people of Stuttgart.

Stuttgart striker Mohamed Sankoh was only a few moments on the pitch when he made his way towards the Fürth goal after a long ball, the 5-0 and only Sascha Burchert, the goalkeeper of the promoted team in mind. But Sankoh failed and crashed into the hurried goalkeeper, the attacker’s leg bent backwards after the collision. After a short break in treatment, Sankoh had to be removed on a stretcher – four minutes after being substituted on. The young Dutchman was accompanied by applause and chants from the fans – little consolation.

The hope that the shock was greater than the damage quickly vanished into thin air. “We haven’t taken any pictures yet. But one or the other band seems to be broken and to last around six months,” said VfB coach Pellegrino Matarazzo about the attacker’s knee injury. “We hope the boy gets back on his feet.”

Mislintat was even more specific: “We suffered a shock, the injury is as bad as it looked.” In Stuttgart “we assume that the entire external tape apparatus is broken”. But Sankoh was “strong in the head”, said the 48-year-old and promised: “He will get support from all of us.” Sankoh has only been part of the VfB professionals since this season. Before that, he was active in the second team and the U19s. Just last weekend he scored his first competitive goal for VfB Stuttgart in the 6-0 cup at regional division BFC Dynamo.

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