Germany suffered a major blow ahead of the World Cup finals on Saturday as an ankle injury ruled midfielder Marco Reus out of the tournament, the German Federation announced.
The 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund star, known as ‘Rolls Reus’ and scorer of seven goals in 21 appearances for Germany, suffered a slight tear to ankle ligaments shortly before half-time in Friday’s 6-1 friendly win over Armenia.
He was helped off the pitch by two of the medical staff and taken to hospital in Mainz where scans revealed the damage.
“Marco is obviously very disappointed to miss the World Cup and also for us it is a real blow,” said German coach Joachim Loew.
“When we learnt last night (Friday) that the injury was to the ligament we knew his chances of going to the World Cup were over.”
Loew called up the 22-year-old central defender Shkodran Mustafi, capped just once and who plays for Serie A side Sampdoria.
Reus’s withdrawal is a serious blow to Loew as he had been in superb form towards the end of the season, scoring eight goals and creating five in the last nine games of the Bundesliga season.
He also scored a double against eventual Champions League winners Real Madrid in their quarter-final second leg match.
Reus is the latest big star to see his World Cup hopes dashed because of injury.
Colombia’s talismanic striker Radamel Falcao, France winger Franck Ribery and Italian midfielder and AC Milan skipper Riccardo Montolivo have all been ruled out in the past week.
Mustafi, who had a spell at English Premier League side Everton before joining Sampdoria, had been left out of the original 23-man squad named by Loew last Monday following a 2-2 draw in the friendly with Cameroon.
“We are taking someone (Mustafi) who was with us at the training camp (in Italy) with us and who is into the rhythm of the squad,” said Loew.
“As regards filling Reus’s position on the pitch we are blessed with numbers as we have (Thomas) Mueller, (Mario) Goetze, (Lukas) Podolski, (Andre) Schuerrle and (Julian) Draxler.
“We felt that the defence is more likely to pick up suspensions through yellow and red cards so hence we opted for Mustafi.”
The German squad fly out to Brazil later on Saturday.
They have been drawn in a tough group, Group G, which sees them begin their campaign on June 16 against Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal.
2010 World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana and the United States, coached by former German handler Jurgen Klinsmann, make up the rest of the group.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
The specs
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Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
