The Bayern faithful held their collective breath a few seconds before the end of the gala 7-1 victory over Hoffenheim, as Arjen Robben required prolonged treatment after a foul. However, the Dutch ace was able to rise shortly afterwards and salute the relieved home crowd. “He’s taken a few knocks, but that’s normal in football,” Jupp Heynckes later reported, confirming that the winger had suffered no serious injury.
Three-goal Mario Gomez was in the wars from the start of Saturday’s match. The striker was hurt in scoring the fifth-minute opener and limped at times during the match before coming off on 57 minutes. “He’s got a deep cut,” reported Heynckes. Gomez himself described the injury as “a hole in my shin,” bored out by an opponent’s studs. “It looked bad, but fortunately it’s nothing serious. There’s nothing broken and nothing torn, so it’s no problem.”
Boateng off as precaution
The centre-forward also complained of pain in his right hip. “I was hit by a knee,” he said, “it’s not pleasant, but not serious either.” As of Saturday evening, neither Gomez nor Robben rates as a doubt for Tuesday’s Champions League Round of 16 return against Basel.
The same applies to Jérôme Boateng, who failed to reappear for the second half. “He has a strain,” reported Heynckes, who took the defender off at the interval as a precaution. The centre-back should be fit for the Basel clash. “He’s not torn anything, a muscle has just gone tight,” the Bayern coach remarked.
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