Stokes: First goal, then ambulance

Premiere goal as a Joker, but then a bitter end

Stuttgart - He sat disappointed in the catacombs of the stadium and could hardly believe what had just happened to him: Ron-Robert Zieler was substituted on for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga game against 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 61st minute for Florian Müller, who had been shown a red card, and only 13 minutes later he was lying on the floor and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

The former national goalkeeper had just saved a free kick from Leandro Barreiro with a strong save, but then Mainz striker Marcus Ingvartsen stepped on his right ankle with full force in the follow-up action. Zieler stayed down, the medical staff rushed onto the pitch and treated the 33-year-old for several minutes before he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher with his head covered.

The diagnosis is a torn syndesmosis ligament in his right ankle. Zieler will be out for several weeks. "That's very bitter for Ron-Robert, of course," said coach Bruno Labbadia after the game. "He played very well until then and then got injured in such an unfortunate situation. We wish him a speedy recovery."

For Zieler, it was a bitter end to a day that had actually started so well. In the 61st minute, he came on for Müller, who had been sent off for a foul as last man against Ludovic Ajorque. And only four minutes later, Zieler celebrated his first Bundesliga goal. Gonzalo Castro's free kick from the right landed at the feet of Wataru Endo, who headed the ball into the net. Zieler ran towards the sidelines and celebrated with his teammates.

But the joy was short-lived. After Ingvartsen's foul, Zieler had to be substituted off again. For VfB, it was the second serious injury within a few days. On Wednesday, Tanguy Coulibaly had to be substituted off in the DFB Cup game against Hannover 96 with a torn cruciate ligament.