BERLIN: Germany Captain Manuel Neuer and midfielder Leon Goretzka have been ruled out of the upcoming Nations League clashes with Hungary and England after recording positive Covid tests.
The news was confirmed by the German team in Frankfurt on Wednesday, where the squad are in training.
The pair, who are team-mates at Bayern Munich, have left the camp and will not take part in either of the upcoming fixtures.
Hoffenheim ‘keeper Oliver Baumann has been called in to replace Neuer, with another player set to be nominated for Goretzka sometime on Wednesday afternoon.
Germany’s Bild tabloid reports the tests were carried out due to a positive test for a close personal contact of one of the players.
Both players tested negative on Monday when they entered camp.
Germany sit second behind Hungary in their Nations League group, with one win and three draws from four matches.
England are bottom of the four-team group with two draws and two losses, scoring just one goal in four matches.
Neuer, Goretzka ruled out of Germany Nations League games with Covid
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Neuer, Goretzka ruled out of Germany Nations League games with Covid
- The news was confirmed by the German team in Frankfurt on Wednesday
- The pair, who are team-mates at Bayern Munich, have left the camp and will not take part in either of the upcoming fixtures
Barcelona blitz Athletic Bilbao 5-0 to book place in Super Cup Final
- In a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval
- Raphinha scores a brace with goals on either side of half-time
JEDDAH: It did not look like the easiest opening 20 minutes for Barcelona in Jeddah during their encounter with Athletic Bilbao. Yet in a breathtaking 16-minute spell, the Catalans turned uncertainty into complete control, racing into a four-goal lead before the interval.
More than 50,000 fans packed the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah to witness the spectacle, although the likes of Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal were rested, allowing opportunities for youngsters like Roony Bardghji and Fermin Lopez.
Lopez would emerge as one of the standout performers of the night. While his threat inside the box was evident, it was his creativity that truly shone in front of the Jeddawi crowd.
Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A sweeping move from side to side ended with Raphinha finding Bardghji on the right, whose cutback was met by Lopez before being laid off for Ferran Torres to finish calmly for 1-0.
Just eight minutes later, an exquisite backheel from Pedri released Raphinha down the left flank once again, with his low cross this time finding López to double Barcelona’s advantage.
Lopez contributed to his third goal of the night minutes later, this time slipping Bardghji down the right. The Kuwaiti-born winger skipped past Adama Boiro before striking at goal, with Unai Simon mishandling the ball as it trickled over the line.
The Blaugrana showed no signs of slowing down. Raphina finally got on the scoresheet in emphatic fashion with a belter into the top corner in the 38th minute.
To the surprise of many, neither side made any changes at the break. That decision quickly proved costly for Bilbao, as Raphinha struck again early in the second half, once more exploiting space down the flanks to extend the lead to 5-0.
With the contest beyond reach, Athletic head coach Ernesto Valverde rang the changes, making five substitutions to give minutes to his squad.
Barcelona, meanwhile, eased off to conserve energy ahead of Sunday’s final. To the delight of the crowd, both Rashford and Yamal were introduced, with Yamal receiving a warm standing ovation upon his entrance in the 72nd minute.
The emphatic victory marks Barcelona’s second consecutive five-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup, following last year’s 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the final.
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday, as Real Madrid face Atlético Madrid, with the winner set to meet Barcelona in Sunday’s final.
