HSV and Nati defender Miro Muheim was injured in the northern derby against Werder Bremen. The Swiss player is facing a premature World Cup exit. Meanwhile, a jubilant action by opponent Bittencourt is causing a stir.
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- National team defender Miro Muheim injured his ankle in the Bundesliga on Saturday and will miss HSV for the rest of the season.
- Due to the severity of the injury, Murat Yakin is also concerned about the 28-year-old's participation in the World Cup.
- The Swiss was injured in a duel with Bremen midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt.
- After the foul, the German caused a stir in the net with a cheering action. But is he really responsible for the Swiss player's injury?
Shock for Swiss national team fans at the northern derby in the Bundesliga: After a duel with Bremen's Leonardo Bittencourt, Miro Muheim writhes in pain on the ground. As the slow motion confirms, Bittencourt steps onto the Swiss HSV defender's foot with full force.
Bittencourt is shown a yellow card and Muheim's game and season are over. Diagnosis: Injury to the anterior syndesmosis in the ankle. He could even miss the World Cup with the Swiss national team in the summer. Definitely no reason to celebrate - but one player does anyway.
Leonardo Bittencourt. And the German causes quite a stir with this action. Although he clearly caught Muheim on the foot, Bittencourt bent over the Swiss player lying on the ground after the foul, screaming and not seeming to buy his pain.
When Muheim, his face contorted with pain, tells him how serious the situation is, the 32-year-old lets go of him, turns to the crowd instead and cheers a tackle for which he receives a yellow card (see video above).
The scene immediately causes anger in the HSV camp. Team-mate Capaldo intervenes in a flash and pushes Bittencourt away from Muheim. However, the latter continues to incite the crowd unhindered.
Villainous action or just bad luck?
After the game, the discussions on the net continue. Hamburg publish a message in which the culprit Bittencourt is even mentioned by name - an extremely unusual procedure for mere injury updates.
Under the post on X, critics and supporters of the Bremen midfielder cavort in equal measure. While some condemn the German's action as reckless and inappropriate, others believe it is simply part and parcel of a game between Bremen and Hamburg.
"Bittencourt delivers the complete package in the northern derby: because it's not enough in footballing terms, he ends Miro Muheim's season with a reckless foul," commented one user.
Numerous Bremen supporters made it clear that Muheim was hit on his left foot but sustained the injury to his right ankle. It is clear to them that the full-back suffered an unfortunate injury when he landed. And because Bittencourt is still unaware of the injury on the pitch, the celebratory action is also okay.
One thing is clear: Muheim, who has made eight appearances for the national team so far, is now in doubt about his participation in the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. An injury to the syndesmosis can result in several months out of action. The Swiss will travel to base camp in San Diego at the beginning of June; the first game will be against Qatar on June 13.
