BVB star Schlotterbeck responds after shock incident in Hamburg | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund experiences a scare with Nico Schlotterbeck during the 1-1 draw in Hamburg. The defensive leader suffers a bloody flesh wound, bravely continues playing, and later comments on the incident.

A brief moment of shock overshadowed Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw at Hamburger SV: In the 47th minute, Nico Schlotterbeck remained on the ground for several minutes after a tough challenge with HSV defender Jordan Torunarigha. The national team player received treatment on his right foot—blood stains were visible on his sock.

Although Torunarigha did get the ball, he also caught Schlotterbeck’s ankle with his outstretched leg. The Hamburg player was lucky that referee Tobias Stieler did not penalize the incident. “He left his leg in, the referee didn’t see it,” Schlotterbeck later explained to Sky. “But I’m not blaming him for it. That’s football. I just kept going. It’s fine.”

Despite clearly visible pain, the 25-year-old showed remarkable toughness. After a lengthy treatment break—during which team doctor Dr. Markus Braun stapled the wound right on the pitch—Schlotterbeck played on. “It was tough: it’s a flesh wound. The doctor stapled it,” the defender reported after the match.

BVB defensive leader Schlotterbeck gives the all-clear after scare

BVB coach Nico Kovac was relieved but also impressed by his defensive leader’s resilience. “That was pretty intense,” said the coach. Since Schlotterbeck played the full 90 minutes, Kovac does not expect any consequences for the upcoming international matches.

On the pitch, Schlotterbeck delivered a strong performance despite his injury. With Emre Can’s return, he was able to move back to his preferred left center-back position and impressed there with consistent tackling. His acrobatic assist for Carney Chukwuemeka’s 1-0 showed how important he is for Dortmund’s defense.

Curiously, after returning to the field, Schlotterbeck was mocked by some HSV fans and players, who apparently didn’t believe he was really in pain.

Even though Ransford Königsdörffer’s late goal in the 97th minute denied Dortmund the win, Nico Schlotterbeck gave the all-clear after the match: “All good, everything’s fine.” This means his participation in the national team’s last two World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia should not be in jeopardy.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.