Goalkeeper hospitalized after firecracker explodes near him in German soccer game

ESSEN, Germany (AP) — A goalkeeper was taken to the hospital and a German soccer game was suspended for around 40 minutes after a firecracker thrown from the stands exploded near him, his team said Wednesday.

Felix Wienand was playing for Rot-Weiss Essen against Waldhof Mannheim in the German third division when the firecracker exploded “in his immediate vicinity” after being thrown from an area of the stands containing Mannheim fans, Essen said.

The club added that Wienand was taken to hospital with a suspected acoustic trauma and acute stress reaction, and coach Uwe Koschinat expressed concern that Wienand could experience long-term damage. The game was eventually resumed after a long delay and the 23-year-old goalkeeper’s team won 1-0.

The incident comes just over a year after another goalkeeper was injured by a lighter thrown from the stands in a top-division German game. That game ended in farcical circumstances with both teams agreeing not to try to score after the referee resumed the game against the wishes of the injured player’s team.

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