During Mainz 05’s 2-0 victory in the Conference League against Sigma Olmütz, player Danny da Costa found himself in a highly unusual situation.
In the closing stages of the Round of 16 match against the Czech team, the 32-year-old professional prematurely left the field, despite not having been substituted by his coach, Urs Fischer. Later, da Costa revealed the unusual reason behind his sudden departure.
«I tried to signal to the coach that I really needed to leave the field because I suddenly realized I had to go to the toilet immediately. However, the coach somehow didn’t quite understand, so I had to take a bit of self-initiative,» the defender explained.
As Mainz celebrated Armindo Sieb’s 2-0 goal in the 85th minute, da Costa sprinted past the surprised substitute bench and his coach directly into the changing rooms. «This is my 16th year in professional football, but I’ve truly never experienced anything like this – absolutely crazy,» he remarked.
Coach Fischer Also Laughs: «It Was a Bit Funny»
Fischer ultimately had to react to avoid finishing the match with only ten men, bringing on Kacper Potulski for the absent da Costa in the final minutes. Afterward, the Mainz coach admitted he initially wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation.
«I only noticed it when he sprinted past me. At first, I didn’t know what was happening. But he probably already had cramps… It was a bit funny, especially because he wanted to come back onto the pitch after he returned from the toilet. But we had already made the substitution, which da Costa hadn’t realized,» Fischer said, laughing.