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Alex KirklandESPN FC
Antonio Rudiger spared Actual Madrid’s blushes with a late objective that certified the reigning European champions for the Champions League spherical of 16 on Tuesday, however his reward was a brutal collision that noticed him return to the Spanish capital along with his head bandaged up.
The Germany defender scored a Ninety fifth-minute equaliser towards Shakhtar Donetsk to seal a 1-1 attract Warsaw, and within the course of suffered a nasty minimize to the brow that noticed him depart the sphere coated in blood and requiring stitches.
With the sport in added time, Madrid have been trailing 1-0 with hosts Shakhtar — who’re compelled to play house video games within the Polish capital as a result of ongoing battle in Ukraine — near pulling off a well-known victory.
It was Rudiger’s worldwide teammate Toni Kroos who waved the 6-foot-3 centre-back up into the Shakhtar penalty space, understanding that Los Blancos‘ probabilities of a late objective may relaxation on his aerial capacity. Within the 92nd minute the primary alternative got here, as Kroos launched a quarterback-like go into the field which Rudiger headed inches huge.
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It regarded like Madrid’s second had come and gone. However three minutes later in a carbon copy of the sooner transfer, Kroos performed the identical ball and Rudiger rose to move it into the online.
The defender did not get the possibility to rejoice, although.
Shakhtar’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin had raced off his line to attempt to attain the ball first and as Rudiger headed it goalward, Trubin collided with him head-first. It was a sickening, worrying collision.
Rudiger pushed away celebrating teammates and sank to his knees, dazed and already visibly bleeding.
Each gamers lay on the turf, nevertheless it was the Madrid participant who regarded to have come off the more serious. His white shirt soaked in blood, and struggling to see by means of one eye, Rudiger was helped off by medical workers for additional remedy.
Antonio Rudiger took a shot as he collided with the keeper when scoring his final minute equalizer for Actual Madrid. pic.twitter.com/4NGMxRbqzi
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 11, 2022
The sport completed seconds later — and naturally, the main focus was on the situation of objective scorer Rudiger. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was fast to calm any critical issues in his postmatch TV interview.
“He minimize his brow, it is fairly a protracted minimize, however he is okay,” Ancelotti stated, earlier than laughing: “He wished to return again on!”
Later in his information convention, Ancelotti provided extra particulars: “He is being stitched up. He is acutely aware, speaking, smiling, completely satisfied to have scored.”
Kroos added: “I’ve seen higher footage, to be sincere. It is powerful, there’s loads of blood, as you noticed on the pitch. Let’s hope he is again as quickly as potential.”
Rudiger himself took to Instagram in a while to assure fans that he was OK. “What would not kill you makes you stronger!” the participant stated in a put up, earlier than including a picture to his story that confirmed him smiling — whereas sporting a considerable bandage overlaying his brow and one eye — on the crew’s flight again to Madrid.
“We alive,” the understated caption said.
? @ToniRuediger ya está en el avión
? ¡Seguimos vivos!
? #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/GhRKIe3W0N
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) October 11, 2022
Rudiger will bear additional checks on Wednesday, along with his participation now unsure for Sunday’s Clasico with LaLiga rivals Barcelona (stream LIVE, Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET on ESPN+ within the U.S..)
The 29-year-old is not any stranger to placing his head the place it hurts. In 2021, whereas taking part in for Chelsea, he wore a protecting masks within the Champions League semifinal second leg towards Madrid after sustaining a blow to the face throughout the first leg, a 1-1 draw on the Bernabeu.
On the time, coach Thomas Tuchel stated Rudiger had “just a little bone damage on the aspect of the face” though it was later reported that he had in truth damaged his jaw, making his colossal efficiency in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge simply eight days later all of the extra spectacular.
And whereas Rudiger didn’t put on the masks when Chelsea beat Manchester Metropolis in that season’s Champions League remaining, he did don it once more when representing Germany at that summer season’s European Championship.