Chants of “Zetti, Zetti, Zetti!” rung out throughout the wohninvest WESERSTADION on Friday evening, as SV Werder hosted FC Augsburg. In the 29th minute, goalkeeper Michael Zetterer came on to make his long-awaited Bundesliga debut. “It was a long time coming, when you look at my history of injuries. It definitely was a special moment,” said the 27-year-old after the game.
Shortly before coming on, Zetterer was warming up in front of the Ostkurve who, along with the rest of the fans, gave him a warm welcome as he stepped out onto the pitch. Werder’s back-up goalkeeper was ready if needed, with Jiri Pavlenka down and receiving treatment before being taken off.
Zetterer has featured in 11 Bundesliga 2 games, as well as once in the DFB-Pokal and 30 times for the Werder U23s in the 3. Liga and Regionalliga. Now, he can finally add the Bundesliga to his resume. “Of course it feels great, but I would rather have taken the points. Especially because we could have avoided losing,” he said, echoing the reaction from his teammates after the game.
Zetterer, who did well after coming on, was unable to prevent Augsburg from scoring the winning goal. Despite the defeat, the 9th of September will surely remain a treasured memory for the goalkeeper, as he can be proud of having made his top-flight debut.
