Germany's Sebastian Rudy Suffers Broken Nose vs. Sweden
The German national team have confirmed that midfielder Sebastian Rudy suffered a broken nose during his side's match against Sweden.
On Twitter, the team confirmed that Rudy underwent surgery to repair the injury, and will now wear a face mask until the injury has healed.
Rudy was caught by an inadvertent boot from Swedish center back Andreas Granqvist after 30 minutes, and was left seriously blooded as a result. After attempting to stop the bleeding, the German medical team made the decision to substitute Rudy, and he was subsequently replaced by Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan.
Germany's challenging start to the World Cup continued against Sweden, conceding shortly after Rudy's injury. Despite equalizing, the Germans were disappointing for the majority of the match, but seemed galvanized by center back Jerome Boateng's red card with around ten minutes left to play.
Germany ended the match with only Antonio Rudiger and Joshua Kimmich as recognized defenders, as they threw everything at Sweden in search of a winner. They were ultimately rewarded for their efforts, finding a winning goal through midfielder Toni Kroos's cleverly worked free kick.
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They kept their hopes of advancing in the World Cup alive with Kroos's late equalizer, and will be hoping to use that momentum when they face South Korea. They are currently level on points with Sweden, who will face group leaders Mexico.
Rudy himself has enjoyed a positive season with Bayern Munich after joining from Hoffenheim. He made 35 appearances in all competitions, including 16 starts in the Bundesliga. He managed one goal and five assists from the center of midfield.
