Baumgartner Apologises to Odegaard After Horrific Challenge in Norway’s Win Over Austria
In a shocking turn of events, Christoph Baumgartner has apologised to Martin Odegaard after the RB Leipzig midfielder’s brutal challenge left the Arsenal captain limping off the pitch during Norway’s 2-1 win over Austria.
The 25-year-old Austrian midfielder took to social media to express his regret, writing: "Hi guys! I would like to sincerely apologise to Martin Odegaard. It was never my intention to injure this player, I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery. Come back stronger @odegaard.98 [prayer hands emoji]."
But not everyone is convinced of Baumgartner’s apology. Norway defender Leo Ostigard was left scratching his head, describing the challenge as "strange". When asked for further clarification, Ostigard cryptically replied: "I’m not going to say that here."
Ostigard’s teammate, Ødda, was the one who suffered the injury at the hands of Baumgartner’s reckless tackle. The Norwegian international was forced to leave the pitch and could be out for several weeks, leaving Arsenal fans worried about the Gunners’ midfield depth ahead of their upcoming derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, who are already without Declan Rice after his sending off in their 1-1 draw with Brighton. Mikel Arteta’s side have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season, but the loss of Odegaard could be a significant blow to their title ambitions.
Speaking about Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League, Arteta said: "When you are analytical and you gather all the stats and everything the team has done over the past 11 months in the Premier League, we should have won it. That’s what the stats say. The reality is that we didn’t so there is something that is there that we haven’t managed as well as Man City or other clubs in the past."
Arsenal fans will be hoping that Odegaard’s injury isn’t as serious as initially feared, but for now, it’s a worrying sign for the Gunners. Will they be able to cope with the loss of their star midfielder? Only time will tell.
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