Bochum goalkeeper Patrick Drewes , third from right, kneels on the ground after being hit on the head with an object during a Bundesliga soccer match between FC Union Berlin and VfL Bochum, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Berlin. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)
Bochum’s goalkeeper was struck on the head by an object apparently thrown from the stands at Union Berlin and both Bundesliga teams left the field on Saturday.
Patrick Drewes was preparing to take a goalkick at 1-1 in added time when he was hit by an object with a similar size and shape to a cigarette lighter. He sat down and was given medical treatment.
The referee suspended the game and led both teams off the field.
About 25 minutes later, the game resumed and Drewes was replaced by striker Philipp Hofmann. But both teams apparently agreed to not try to score and run down the clock.
Players passed the ball around the field, walked and had conversations with opponents while waiting for the referee to declare the game over.
Bochum had already made substitutions at three different points in the game, meaning it would not have been possible to bring on another goalkeeper to replace Drewes. Bochum finished the game with nine players because of Drewes’ absence and an earlier red card.
Union was 12th and Bochum last in the 18-team Bundesliga.
Bayern loses in Bundesliga for the first time under coach Kompany
Bayern Munich lost a Bundesliga game for the first time in coach Vincent Kompany’s tenure, paying the price for defensive mistakes and the absence of Harry Kane in losing at Mainz 2-1 on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Union Berlin and Bochum played out the final minutes of a 1-1 draw without attacking after Bochum’s goalkeeper was struck by an object thrown from the stands.
With Kane out injured, Bayern struggled to generate scoring chances as Lee Jae-sung gave Mainz a two-goal lead. Leroy Sane scored on the rebound in the 87th minute to give Bayern hope of a comeback, but Kompany’s team could not find a second goal.
Bayern’s lead was cut to four points ahead of last season’s champion Bayer Leverkusen.
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