On Tuesday, Roberts Uldriķis’ Arminia Bielefeld reached the DFB Pokal semifinal for the first time since the 2014/2015 season. They achieved this milestone by defeating Bundesliga side Werder Bremen 2-1. However, the match was marred by Uldriķis’ serious injury, which forced him to leave the field on a stretcher.
Arminia Bielefeld’s journey to the quarter-finals was challenging. They began by overcoming 2. Bundesliga side Hannover, and in the following rounds, they triumphed over two Bundesliga teams: Union Berlin and Freiburg. Before today’s match Uldriķis started the previous league game on Friday against Munich 1860, contributing a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory. For the match against Bremen, the manager opted for a rotation upfront, placing Uldriķis on the bench.
The game began positively for Arminia. In the latter part of the first half, they scored two goals: the first by 20-year-old Marius Worl, who has been impressive throughout the DFB Pokal with two goals and three assists in five matches this season. The second came from an unfortunate own goal by Werder’s Argentinian defender, Julian Malatini.
Roberts Uldriķis entered the game as a substitute in the 55th minute but had a difficult start. Just seconds after his introduction, a poor pass led to a counterattack that resulted in a goal for Werder Bremen, scored by Scottish player Oliver Burke.
Things took a turn for the worse for Uldriķis seven minutes later when, while attempting to reach for the ball, he landed awkwardly, putting all his weight on his knee. Unable to continue, he was stretchered off the field amid applause from the crowd. This injury is particularly concerning as Latvia is scheduled to play against Andorra and England at Wembley next month in their first World Cup qualifier matches.
Despite the setback, Arminia Bielefeld held on to their lead and secured the win, marking their third consecutive victory in the DFB Pokal against Bundesliga opponents. What could have been a joyous day for Uldriķis, as he becomes the first Latvian player to reach the semifinals of both the Dutch and German cups, has now turned into a disappointing event as he suffered a major injury, which could sideline him for an extended period.
In the semifinal, Arminia Bielefeld will face either Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, or the winner of the RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg match.
