Hamstring injuries can be frustrating at the best of times. A-League star Milorad Stajic just felt the dreaded pop at the back of his right leg at the worst possible moment for a football player.
Before the start of the A-League match, Brisbane Roar’s Milorad Stajic was running to take his position in the pre-kick-off formation when he went tumbling to the turf.
The match hadn’t even started; the Australian club had just finished its pre-match huddle. As he sprinted toward the centre circle, the Swiss-born midfielder suddenly collapsed, clutching his hamstring and writhing in pain. His teammates immediately waved for medical staff to attend to him on the field.
Stajic, who seemingly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, was supported on either side as he limped off the pitch.
The wry chuckles gave way to anger and despair by the time he reached the dugout. Stajic furiously slammed a padded seat with a right hand so thunderous it could have knocked out a boxer. Then, covering his face with both hands, he broke down in tears.
The team was allowed to make a free change before kick-off, seeing as the match hadn’t actually started.
They ended up celebrating a 95th-minute winner from Chris Long, which left them second in the A-League, one place behind Sydney FC after seven matches.
Stajic only arrived in Brisbane this summer, having signed a two-year deal after leaving Serbian side Radnicki Nis. Before that, he played for the FC Basel academy, Graficar Beograd, and the youth teams of Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.