Champions League
Gulacsi shock: cautious Leipzig joy after Celtic victory
Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is injured and carried off the pitch. photo
© Jan Woitas/dpa
RB Leipzig may have won their first game in the Champions League, but lost goalkeeper and captain Peter Gulacsi for a long time. The 32-year-old suffered a serious knee injury.
RB Leipzig didn’t want to get really excited after the liberating win against Celtic Glasgow. Rather, the thoughts after the first victory in the Champions League were with Peter Gulacsi. The Hungarian national soccer player tore his cruciate ligament and will be out for several months. A loss, both athletic and human, that can hardly be compensated for.
“It really hurts with Pete,” said coach Marco Rose after the 3-1 win over the Scottish champions. “He’s a captain and has been a bank in Leipzig for years. It didn’t look good.” National player Lukas Klostermann, who also suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in 2016, wrote on Twitter: “It will be tough, but you will master it and come back stronger.”
After just ten minutes, what was supposed to be a great evening of football was over for Gulacsi. A sloppy back pass from Timo Werner forced the 32-year-old to save the game, during which he unfortunately got stuck in the grass. With a pained face, Gulacsi grabbed his right knee. The 31-year-old Janis Blaswich made his first appearance in the Champions League for the leading player – and delivered a flawless performance.
Rose praised his team’s reaction, who quickly brushed off the setback. “It was a very good way of dealing with difficult situations and resistance. Janis was in the game right away, the lads reacted well to it. Ultimately, they also won the game for Pete. We hope that he will come back quickly,” said the 46 -year-olds. A final diagnosis should be available by Thursday afternoon.
In terms of sport, the success against the Scots, who played intensively and were worth seeing, was far more than a sign of life. After two defeats, Leipzig is now in the group and can reach the round of 16 on their own. “We opened up the group for ourselves,” said Rose. That was a start, we are there now. Next Tuesday the team in Glasgow has the chance to win at least the direct duel. If they succeed, it all boils down to a second-place final against Donetsk on the final day.
Before that, however, they want to prove themselves in Glasgow. The cup winners have already played twice in the Scottish metropolis, losing to both Celtic and Rangers. “It’s going to be a fantastic game with an incredible atmosphere,” said Emil Forsberg. It would be a first for the 30-year-old in Scotland, having missed out on both games. “It’s going to be another important game for us. We’re making good progress every day, with a lot of intensity and quality. We’re on the right track.”