Badé 'completely out' after head collision as Leverkusen sweat ahead of cup tie
Loïc Badé was stretchered off after colliding with Max Moerstedt in Leverkusen's 3-0 loss at Hoffenheim. Coach Martínez says he is fine, but his availability against Nuremberg is unclear.
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Bayer Leverkusen lost 3-0 at Hoffenheim on Sunday in a match overshadowed by a head collision between defender Loïc Badé and Hoffenheim's Max Moerstedt. Badé was carried off on a stretcher. Coach Carles Martínez said the 26-year-old was "completely out" for about a minute and a half and could not remember anything afterward. "He's fine, he's talking to us, he was in the shower," Martínez said after the game. The club has not released an official diagnosis.
Referee Robert Hartmann, who replaced the injured Siebert at halftime, drew criticism for initially letting play continue; Hoffenheim scored the second goal shortly afterward. Hartmann told DAZN, according to media reports, that he judged the incident as a foul by Badé rather than a collision and could not make a diagnosis, saying he was a referee, not a doctor. Teammate Robert Andrich said he was "frozen, paralyzed" in that moment. Kramarić scored from a penalty (80th minute), Prass added a goal in the 90th before being sent off for a second yellow for removing his shirt, and Moerstedt scored in stoppage time.
Two streaks ended for Leverkusen: after six straight wins in all competitions, they failed to score for the first time in 18 Bundesliga games. It is unclear whether Badé will be available for Wednesday's German Cup match against Nuremberg (8:45 p.m.). Moussa Diaby came off in the first half with a thigh problem.