ANTONIO RUDIGER left football fans baffled with his reaction after Germany gave the ball away before conceding in a 4-1 loss to Japan.
TV footage from the game showed how ex-Arsenal star Takuma Asano netted Japan’s third goal in the 90th minute.
Germany, managed by ex-Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick, had comfortable possession of the ball when former Chelsea star Rudiger passed to Robin Gosens.
However, Gosens produced a loose touch before hitting a woefully underhit back pass to the goalkeeper.
This allowed Takefusa Kubo to steal the ball and drive unhindered towards the German goal, before passing sideways in the penalty area for Asano to tap into an open net.
But eagle-eyed fans spotted Rudiger’s bizarre reaction to Gosens giving the ball away.
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Rudiger, a defender well-known for his explosive pace, appeared to delay his sprint back to goal by standing still for a moment.
Reacting to the vid on Twitter, one fan said: “Watch Rudiger delay his sprint back very strange.”
A second claimed: “My man got fed up.”
“Bro was fed up,” joked a third.
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A fourth typed: “That’s hilarious cos he’s the fastest CB i’ve seen he easily could’ve caught him.”
Others defended Rudiger by suggesting he was right not to exert himself at the end of a friendly.
One user wrote: “He isn’t risking a muscles injury for a friendly be serious.”
Another added: “It’s a friendly, I’d be angry too.”
“Rudiger was shell shocked. Not worth it,” remarked a third.
The 2014 World Cup champions have struggled to come close to matching their feat in Brazil in the nine years since.
At the most recent tournament, Germany were eliminated at the group stage after a 2-1 defeat to Japan on the final group game, a match which saw Asano put the Germans to the sword again.
Flick’s side will face France in a friendly next Tuesday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
