A German soccer match was paused for about 40 minutes after a firecracker thrown from the stands exploded near goalkeeper Felix Wienand. He plays for Rot‑Weiss Essen, and the incident happened during their game against Waldhof Mannheim in the third division.The firecracker exploded “in his immediate vicinity” after being thrown from an area of the stands containing Mannheim fans, Essen said on Wednesday.Wienand, 23, was taken to the hospital with possible hearing damage and stress. His coach, Uwe Koschinat, said he could face long-term effects. The game resumed later, and Essen won 1-0.The incident comes just over a year after another goalkeeper was injured by a lighter thrown from the stands in a top-division German game. That game ended in farcical circumstances with both teams agreeing not to try to score after the referee resumed the game against the wishes of the injured player’s team.
