The diagnosis came the day after. It was the worst of all news that Sasa Kaladjzic and Eintracht could have expected: a torn cruciate ligament. Moved in on Sunday afternoon at the wild game in Freiburg. The 26-year-old Austrian sustained the injury without any influence from his opponent. The loanee from Wolverhampton Wanderers simply collapsed.
A later MRI scan revealed the devastating diagnosis. Eintracht announced on Monday that their winter access would be canceled “indefinitely”. It generally takes a good six months before professional footballers can return to their playing career after a rupture of the cruciate and lateral ligaments in the right knee, like the one Kalajdzic sustained.
For the striker, who moved from England to Germany with great hopes and ambitions and became a father for the first time a week ago, this is another bitter blow. The cruciate ligament tear he suffered in Freiburg is the third of his career. Kalajdzic tore his cruciate ligament in the summer of 2019 and the fall of 2022.
Sixth place in the table secured
Since Sunday at the latest we have known why the Freiburg football stadium bears the name of an amusement park. You can ride a wonderful rollercoaster there. Eintracht did it together with the sports club. Frankfurt Gate, Freiburg Gate, Frankfurt Gate, Freiburg Gate, Frankfurt Gate, Freiburg Gate. It went back and forth constantly. Good for Eintracht: Thanks to the 3:3, the four-point lead over Freiburg remains. Sixth place in the table is secured. It is the goal that the club repeatedly sets out to make European aspirations possible at the end of the season. It is a goal that this team should achieve with these opportunities.
Ansgar Knauff was in demand in the catacombs of Freiburg’s first-class venue. The Lower Saxony from Göttingen was like that on the pitch before. The 22-year-old professional footballer had actually prepared himself for another bench appearance. But because Kalajdzic was injured early on, Knauff had to leave his observation position earlier than expected. One man’s bad luck was another man’s luck: Knauff played by far his best game in many months. “He did great,” praised sports director Markus Krösche.
It wasn’t just the two beautifully scored goals (35th and 72nd minute) with which the attacking midfielder was able to impress. It was also the way in which Knauff showed full commitment in every sprint and in every duel. Of course he was satisfied with his personal performance. “I’m happy that I scored two goals,” he said.
Freiburg’s goalkeeper Noah Atubolu picks up a model airplane and gives it to a folder. : Image: dpa
“But unfortunately that doesn’t help us much. Again just one point after we took the lead three times.” Like sports director Krösche before him and later coach Dino Toppmöller, Knauff focused on Eintracht’s current core problem in the official press conference. “We have to work on not letting our opponents get back into the game too easily and bring home the win.”