India, March 6 -- A goalkeeper was taken to the hospital and a German soccer game was suspended for around 40 minutes after a firecracker thrown from the stands exploded near him, his team said.

Felix Wienand was playing for Rot-Weiss Essen against Waldhof Mannheim in the German third division when the firecracker exploded "in his immediate vicinity" after being thrown from an area of the stands containing Mannheim fans, Essen said on Wednesday.

The club added that Wienand was taken to the hospital with a suspected acoustic trauma and acute stress reaction, and coach Uwe Koschinat expressed concern that Wienand could experience long-term damage. The game was eventually resumed after a long delay and the 23-year-old goalkeeper's team won...