Two topics dominate after Young Boys' 5-1 defeat in Stuttgart: The controversial 1-2 and how the players dealt with the stroke of fate suffered by their teammate Meschack Elia.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- Meschack Elia, striker for Swiss champions YB, mourns the loss of his son. He died unexpectedly after a short illness. The 27-year-old traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to mourn with his family.
- Shortly after his team-mate's death, the Bernese team had to play away against Stuttgart in the Champions League on Wednesday - and lost 5-1. However, the sixth defeat in a row understandably faded into the background.
"It's obviously very difficult to talk about sport now after what we've experienced in the last 24 hours," said captain Loris Benito, summing up the situation. On Monday evening after the final training session, Elia learned that one of his children had died unexpectedly at the age of four. "It's a story that can't be put into words," says Benito. "He is part of our YB family. The fact that this has happened to him has pulled the rug out from under our feet in the hotel."
After Lukasz Lakomy made it 1-0 in the 6th minute, the goalscorer, surrounded by teammates, held up the jersey with the number 15, that of Elia, to the camera. "It was nice at that moment that we were able to give him and his family something back for a moment, even if there's nothing that gives enough comfort," said Bern goalkeeper David von Ballmoos. "We had also planned a lot for him and that resulted in the 1:0."
Rieder praises performance
Swiss Fabian Rieder, who celebrated great success with YB, played a major part in Stuttgart's victory with three assists. He knew Elia's deceased child personally. "My thoughts were and still are with him," said Rieder.
