Corneal damage in the eye: Biels Rathgeb was in pain like never before

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A week and a half ago, Yannick Rathgeb (28) was hit in the right eye by the fist of Davos attacker Rico Gredig during an argument. The Biel defender immediately disappeared into the locker room. “I was in so much pain,” he remembers. ‘I went straight to the hospital. Luckily a friend took care of me and I calmed down quickly.” It would hurt him, but only for a few days – and it wouldn’t bother 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 he still doubted against Servette whether a comeback would make sense. It wasn’t the pain that ultimately stopped him from using it, but the sight. “It was still a bit vague. 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. “Just to be sure, I wanted to go to the doctor first.”

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 caused me problems. After warming up I was already exhausted. But once the match started, I felt better and better.” He wasn’t afraid of taking a blow to his injured eye. Could he see 100 percent? “No, not yet. But normally I have good eyesight, so even if I lose 10 percent, I’m not that bad.”

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 champion Servette. “I was so nervous the whole match that I had to shower after the match,” he says, laughing. “It hurts me to watch from the stands. That’s really difficult.”

Has he heard from Rico Gredig, who delivered the fatal blow? “On the day of the competition, I quickly left the rink and went to the hospital, where I sat in the dark for 36 hours. After that I received no more news from him.”

Rathgeb is not completely satisfied with the 1-1 draw in the first leg against Ambri. Biel must win at Leventina on Wednesday to qualify for the play-offs. “That becomes very difficult in a warm atmosphere,” he explains. ‘But I am 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.”

Source : Blick