The Madrid central defender injured his thigh this Sunday while celebrating the goal against Switzerland.
Germany did their homework against Switzerland and snatched a 1-1 draw in the last minute, which allowed them to qualify for the round of 16 in first place in Group A, but the situation of their defenders centers raises many concerns.
In addition to the absence of Jonathan Tah, who will miss the next match after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament, coach Julian Nagelsmann is also concerned by the absence of Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger, who limped off the field.
According to the German daily Bild, the injury was sustained during the celebration of Niclas Füllkrug’s goal at the end of the match. As soon as the Dortmund striker scored, Rüdiger made a long run to be one of the first to celebrate with his teammate, but remained on the ground as the other players jumped on them. Until then, the Madrilenian had shown no signs of pain, but just after the final whistle, Rüdiger kept touching his thigh.
“Toni has a little problem in his thigh. We have to see what it is. I hope it is not serious. We will see. It could be very problematic,” Nagelsmann said at the conference of post-match press. Nico Schlotterbeck should replace Tah in the round of 16.
If Rüdiger cannot play, Nagelsmann has two options for the BVB central defender’s partner in the axis of the German defense: Waldemar Anton or Robin Koch. For the moment, no official diagnosis has been made. So the whole of Germany is crossing their fingers for Toni. Still, his possible absence puts Nagelsmann in a delicate situation.
