Antonio Rüdiger will miss the semi-finals of Euro 2024 if Germany progress to the next round of the tournament with a win over Spain after he was booked for a foul on La Roja striker Dani Olmo during their quarter-final.
Rudiger was already shown a yellow card last month during the group stage match between Germany and Hungary.
Before the tournament, UEFA had changed the yellow card rules, stating that if a player receives two yellow cards, he would be banned for one match. However, yellow cards are erased after the quarter-finals, meaning the 31-year-old’s yellow card against Hungary still counts.
Spain had caused the home side problems in the opening 15 minutes of the match, with 16-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal launching a dangerous attack from the halfway line. He found Morata, who surged forward, before playing a ball into Olmo who fired towards the German penalty area.
As Olmo came on, Rudiger sprang into action and brought down the Red Bull Leipzig star just on the edge of the penalty area. Referee Anthony Taylor showed the former Chelsea centre-back a yellow card and awarded Spain a free kick.
Antonio Rudiger (second from left) has been suspended for the semi-finals of Euro 2024, should Germany advance to the next round of the tournament.
Rudiger was shown a yellow card during his team’s quarter-final against Spain on Friday
Ally McCoist, reporting on the match for ITV, questioned whether the Real Madrid star should have brought down Olmo, noting that Joshua Kimmich was following him.
“Rudiger probably didn’t realise he had a bit of cover behind him but he couldn’t take the risk,” McCoist told ITV Sport.
Yamal tried to reach the goal from about 20 meters. He curled his shot low along the wall, but the ball went just wide of the posts.
Rudiger will miss the next round of the tournament if his team wins tonight.
He is not the only player to miss out on the semi-finals. His team-mate Robert Andrich is also at risk of suspension. Dani Carvajal, Dani Vivian and their captain Alvaro Morata are also at risk of suspension, having all been booked ahead of tonight’s match.
England, who face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday night, also have several players who could be suspended for the semi-finals if they beat Murat Yakin’s team in Dusseldorf.
Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier and Conor Gallagher could all be suspended if they receive another yellow card.
Spain and Germany played an exciting first half of their quarter-final on Friday night, with both teams going into halftime at 0-0.
It was Rudiger’s (right) second yellow card of the tournament, meaning he is suspended for Germany’s next match.
Rudiger (right) brought down Spaniard Dani Olmo (left) as the Spaniard approached the edge of the German penalty area
Toni Kroos may have been booked for a hard tackle on Pedri that saw the Barcelona star forced off early with an injury. Mail Sport understands that Pedri sprained a ligament in his knee following the tackle.
Ian Wright, meanwhile, declared that ‘Rodri should have been shown a yellow card’ for trying to pull Jamal Musiala to the ground as the Bayern Munich star attempted to break away down the left flank.
But in this fierce match, Spain were perhaps the most dangerous in the first 45 minutes, with eight attempts on goal compared to Germany’s three.
Kai Havertz meanwhile had several chances on goal, including receiving a long ball from Rudiger, but was unable to test Unai Simon in goal.