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Josuha Guilavogui collided with a teammate's knee
Photo: Bernd Feil / MiS / MIS / IMAGO
After his collapse in the game at FC Bayern, Mainz Bundesliga professional Josuha Guilavogui thanked referee Patrick Ittrich, his teammates and doctors "for the quick intervention and the help provided."
The 33-year-old wrote this on X, formerly Twitter.
Guilavogui remained motionless after a collision with teammate Anthony Caci and appeared to be in danger of suffocation.
Ittrich, like some Mainz professionals, was quickly on hand to help.
According to his own statement, Ittrich realized that Guilavogui had swallowed his tongue, took it out of his throat and put the Frenchman in the recovery position.
"I've already experienced a lot of situations, you just have to act quickly and there's no praise," said Ittrich, who is a police officer.
»Everyone should take a first aid course.«
A few minutes later, Guilavoguie was substituted.
Mainz had already given the all-clear after the game on Saturday.
There is a suspicion of a concussion, but Guilavogui says he is doing well, said Mainz sports director Martin Schmidt.
Mainz is deep in the relegation battle
Before Guilavogui was substituted in the 35th minute, Bayern professional Alphonso Davies had already been substituted.
Davies was hit in the face with his foot by 05 captain Silvan Widmer in an aerial duel.
"He's at the dentist because he got a bad blow to his teeth," said coach Thomas Tuchel.
Some of the teeth were a bit crooked.
"We hope it's not that bad."
Mainz suffered the second-heaviest defeat in the club's history against Bayern, 1:8.
Only in the 8-0 defeat against RB Leipzig on November 2nd, 2019 did Mainz lose higher in the Bundesliga.
The gap to the relegation place and 1. FC Köln is two points.
Only Darmstadt has a worse goal difference than Mainz.
ast/dpa