Straight-talkin' Saturdays at the 1. FC Nürnberg stadium took an unexpected turn when referee Richard Hempel got bitten by the injury bug. Midway through the first half, Hempel hobbled off the pitch with an issue on his left calf. With a chill in the air, he sent both teams and their staff off to the locker rooms for a brief intermission.
Six minutes later, the action picked back up, but this time it was fourth official Assad Nouhoum from SC Oberweikertshofen in Bavaria manning the whistle. The teams warmed up while they waited for Nouhoum to get things rolling again in the 38th minute. Hempel shifted his focus to the side, overseeing the match from the sidelines.
Injuries are as common as a yellow card in Soccer, even in high-profile matches in North Rhine-Westphalia. Despite the setback, the 1. FC Nürnberg will need to dig deep and keep pressing forward in their pursuit of climbing the league table.
Bonus Info:
According to stern.de's recent standings, Fortuna Düsseldorf is currently sitting comfortably in 5th position with 34 points from 21 games. Their goal difference has them ahead with a total of +7, thanks to their thrilling 3-2 victories against Ulm and Karlsruhe. However, their 5-2 loss to Magdeburg in their previous outing has raised some eyebrows.
On the other side of the pitch, 1. FC Nürnberg is holding its own in 9th position with a goal difference of +2. Their 2-1 win against Hamburg and their 4-3 victory over Cologne have them cheering, but their 2-1 loss to Magdeburg has them playing catch-up.
For the most current and specific information on any match between these two teams, be sure to check in with your favorite sports news sources.
