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Biel defender Yannick Rathgeb played with a full visor against Ambri on Monday.
Gregory Beaud
A week and a half ago, Yannick Rathgeb (28) was hit in the right eye by Davos striker Rico Gredig’s fist during an argument. The Biel defender immediately disappeared into the dressing room. “I was in so much pain,” he remembers. «I went straight to the hospital. Luckily a friend took care of me and I was quickly calmed down.” It would hurt him, but only for a few days – and it wouldn’t hinder him for too long, they said.
And the prediction was correct. “Yes, it hurt,” said the Nati defender after he was able to play again on Monday evening against Ambri (1-1). Last Saturday against Servette he was still hesitant about whether a comeback would make sense. It wasn’t the pain that ultimately prevented him from using it, but the vision. “It was still a bit blurry. That’s why I preferred to wait.”
On Sunday he decided to try against Ambri the next day. But he waited until the day of the game before telling coach Martin Steinegger. “I wanted to go to the doctor first to be sure.”
No news from HCD-Gredig
Rathgeb played with a full visor or an “aquarium,” as the closed helmet is also called. “It takes a few minutes to get used to it. It was a bit strange. But it was mainly the pace that gave me problems. After warming up I was already exhausted. But once the game started, I felt better and better.” He wasn’t afraid of getting a blow to his injured eye. Could he see 100 percent? “No, not yet. But I normally have good eyesight, so even if I lose 10 percent, I’m not that bad.”
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It was definitely better than the first play-in game in Geneva, which he had to watch on TV. “I was still in a lot of pain and couldn’t see everything.” On Saturday, however, the future Friborg defender sat in the front row and saw his team eliminate champions Servette. “I was so nervous during the whole game that I had to take a shower after the game,” he says with a laugh. “It gets to me watching from the stands. That’s really hard.”
Has he heard anything from Rico Gredig, who struck the fatal blow? “On the day of the game I quickly left the rink and went to the hospital, where I sat in the dark for 36 hours. I didn’t receive any news from him after that.”
Rathgeb is not entirely satisfied with the 1-1 draw in the first leg against Ambri. Biel has to win at Leventina on Wednesday to qualify for the playoffs. “That becomes really difficult in a hot atmosphere,” he explains. “But I’m confident. If we play our game, we have a chance to win. We should have scored one more goal at home, even though we are still in a comfortable situation. We have already won there and know what we have to do.”
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