Patrik Schick hasn’t been really fit for a little over a year. Thursday’s goal in the Europa League could be the turning point. It wasn’t just emotional for the Czech.
Patrik Schick’s first route led to the bank. But not to his coach Xabi Alonso or one of his colleagues, no, after his redeeming comeback goal, the Czech striker from Bayer Leverkusen ran straight towards Karl-Heinrich Dittmar.
The team doctor followed the 27-year-old closely during his year-long ordeal. Shortly afterwards all the players followed and Schick sank into a cheering crowd.
“It was very emotional to be able to celebrate with the staff and players after such a long time,” said the 27-year-old after scoring his first goal with the goal to make it 2-0 against Swedish Cup winners BK Häcken (74th). achieved after 284 days. “The fact that he scored was important for the soul, for the head and the heart,” said sports director Simon Rolfes. And Alonso explained: “That was an important step for him. And a nice moment for everyone. He had to fight a lot to be fit again.”
Two stopped comebacks
“I haven’t played for so long. It’s not easy to come back after such a long injury,” said Schick, who was the second-best Bundesliga goalscorer in the 21/22 season with 24 goals: “I came back once, then gave up problems again. That’s why I’m very happy to have scored a goal. Now we can move on.”
Strictly speaking, Schick has even had two stopped comebacks. After he was out from the beginning of November to mid-February, the season was over for him after six substitutions. After his two-game return in October, he was again out of the squad for five competitive games. Until Thursday in the fifth Europa League group game in the venerable Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg in sleet and minus two degrees. Schick came on in the 63rd minute and scored eleven minutes later.
This time the comeback should be sustainable
“He has the goal-scoring gene in his blood. You could see that, he was right there,” says Rolfes: “He will be a very, very important player this season.” Especially right after the winter break, when the striker Victor Boniface, who has stepped into the breach, plays with Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations.
With the victory in Sweden, the Bundesliga table leaders, who have won 18 of 19 competitive games, are now the only Europa League team with a perfect record of five wins. Until Thursday, Schick had barely been able to contribute. But this time the comeback should be sustainable.
Source: Stern
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