Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck has been ruled out for the rest of the World Cup with an ankle injury.
Schlotterbeck sustained a medial ankle ligament injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win against Ivory Coast in Toronto.
The 26-year-old Borussia Dortmund center-back was replaced at halftime by Antonio Rudiger.
Schlotterbeck will remain in the U.S. with his teammates but is expected to be sidelined for several months.
“It was remarkable that he managed to carry on until halftime,” head coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Sunday, per The Athletic.
Schlotterbeck had started both matches and scored in a 7-1 win over Curacao in the Group E opener on June 14.
Germany (2-0-0, 6 points) have already clinched Group E and qualified for the knockout stage heading into Thursday’s group stage finale against Ecuador in East Rutherford, N.J.
–Field Level Media
