Football third division team 1. FC Saarbrücken has to cope with a serious injury. A striker broke his tibia and fibula.

Not won, but remained unbeaten for the fourth time in a row. 1. FC Saarbrücken drew goalless with SpVgg Unterhaching in a Sunday evening match in the 3rd division.

However, the course of the game and the result became a minor matter for the FCS. The match was overshadowed by a serious injury. Saarbrücken striker Patrick Schmidt was seriously injured after half an hour. He collided with his opponent Benedikt Bauer.

The club has since announced the diagnosis: As already suspected, the 30-year-old suffered a fracture of the tibia and fibula. A first operation has already been performed, a second operation will be necessary at the end of this week, Saarbrücken announced.

Team doctor Dr. Markus Pahl estimates that the player will be out of action for at least six months. At the same time, the doctor thanked his counterpart from Unterhaching “who quickly and competently took the right measures on the spot”.

“We are all still in shock,” coach Rüdiger Ziehl is quoted as saying in a release from the club. “The situation can hardly be surpassed in terms of tragedy, because Patrick was in extremely good form and, together with Kai Brünker, formed our effective forward line, on which our game was designed.”

Schmidt moved to the Saarland capital from FC Ingolstadt this summer. The experienced centre-forward has played in all six games so far this season and scored three goals. Before more are added, it will probably take at least until next spring.

“We will need some time to process this event, but we hope that Patrick can recover as quickly as possible and return to our team,” emphasised Ziehl. “Our hearts are with him and we will play for him now too.”

The Saarbrücken team will do that next Saturday. Their opponent in the home match is Waldhof Mannheim.