After the match was abandoned

The all-clear was given for the kicker in hospital

Ex-Austrian Lucas Purkrabek has been playing in Ostermiething since the summer(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

The shock was deep at first. Ten minutes before the end, the lower division test between Upper Austrian league club Ostermiething and Salzburgligigist Thalgau was abandoned on Friday evening due to an injury to a player. Fortunately, the all-clear was given during the night.

From a sporting point of view, it was a clear-cut affair for the Upper Austrians, who were leading 3:1. Then came the fateful duel on the Bürmoos artificial turf. Salzburg's Lucas Purkrabek fell face-first onto the ground and his Thalgau opponent fell on top of him. "It then took quite a long time for the rescue team to arrive. As we were told not to move him due to feared neck and facial injuries, there wasn't much we could do. Nobody wanted to finish the last ten minutes," said Thalgau coach Tomislav Jonjic. Ostermiething counterpart Christoph Mühllechner said: "Then the game is irrelevant. Lucas was taken to the accident hospital."

Salzburg branch better than ever recently
Fortunately, the all-clear was given during the night. Purkrabek, who has played for Bergheim, Eugendorf and regional league team Vöcklamarkt in the past, came away with a bloodied face and bruises, according to Ostermiething sports director Richard Rusch. Last year, the fourth-placed team in the Upper Austrian league had made a name for itself under former Seekirchen "co" Mühllechner, achieving the greatest successes in the club's history by topping the table and later reaching the regional cup final. The Innviertel side have no fewer than 15 players with a Salzburg past in their squad.