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
Morocco rally to defeat Jordan in dramatic Arab Cup final
- Earlier in the day, the third-place match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was suspended indefinitely due to adverse weather conditions
DOHA: Abderrazzaq Hamed Allah had the final say as Morocco clinched the Arab Cup title with a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Jordan in a thrilling final at a sold-out Lusail Stadium on Thursday.
In a pulsating contest that echoed the 2022 World Cup final at the same venue, Morocco twice came from behind to deny Jordan a first Arab Cup crown and lift the trophy in spectacular fashion.
Oussama Tannane put the Atlas Lions ahead with a stunning long-range strike early on, capitalising on a turnover inside the Moroccan half before spotting goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila off his line and sending a dipping effort into the net.
Jordan, however, produced a remarkable response in the second half through tournament top scorer Ali Olwan.
The forward leveled just three minutes after the restart, nodding home from close range following a quickly taken corner by Mohannad Abu Taha.
Midway through the half, Jordan were awarded a penalty after Achraf El-Mahdioui was adjudged to have handled Mahmoud Al-Mardi’s effort inside the area.
Olwan calmly converted straight down the middle to give the Jordanians a 2-1 lead and put them on the brink of glory.
Morocco pressed relentlessly in search of an equalizer and were rewarded two minutes from time when a corner fell kindly to Hamed Allah, who finished from close range after his initial effort rebounded off the post.
The closing moments of normal time were filled with drama, as Morocco had a penalty appeal waved away before Olwan squandered a one-on-one opportunity on the counter.
Hamed Allah ensured there would be no further twists, sealing the title in the 100th minute of extra time with a close-range volley to spark celebrations among the Moroccan faithful and cap a perfect build-up to the next summer’s World Cup.
Earlier in the day, the third-place match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was suspended indefinitely due to adverse weather conditions, with FIFA confirming that a decision on third place will be taken by the relevant committee in due course.
