The Rudiger Disaster

Antonio Rudiger had a day to forget when Germany lost 0-2 to Slovakia in the first round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe on the morning of September 5.

Rudiger's poor defending for the second goal.

At Tehelne Stadium, the German team continued to get bogged down when they lost 0-2 to Slovakia, thereby setting a sad record with three consecutive defeats in official tournaments - something that has never happened in the history of this country's football. This is also the first time "Die Mannschaft" has lost away from home in the World Cup qualifiers.

Throughout the 90 minutes, coach Julian Nagelsmann's defense system was clearly vulnerable. Antonio Rudiger became the most criticized face when he was constantly passed by Slovakian players.

The Real Madrid midfielder not only lost the battle, but also directly made mistakes in both goals. In particular, in the decisive situation, striker David Strelec easily overcame the former Chelsea star before shooting past Manuel Neuer.

On social networks, many fans did not hesitate to call Rudiger an "amateur" because of his disappointing performance.

Antonio Rudiger had a day to forget when Germany lost 0-2 to Slovakia.

According to Bild newspaper, the atmosphere in the German dressing room after the match was extremely tense. Coach Nagelsmann and Rudiger both made statements to the whole team. Sources said that the 31-year-old midfielder appeared angry, even shouting loudly. The internal rift made the public even more concerned about the future of the team that has won the world championship four times.

The defeat to Slovakia extended Germany’s poor run of form. They had previously lost 2-1 to Portugal in the Nations League semi-finals, and then lost 2-0 to France in the third-place play-off in June. Currently, “Die Mannschaft” are bottom of Group A of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 0 points and a goal difference of 0/2, below Luxembourg (also with 0 points but a goal difference of 1/3).

While Slovakia and Northern Ireland share the top spot with 3 points, the pressure is mounting on coach Nagelsmann. If a solution to the problem of defense and team spirit is not found soon, the risk of Germany missing the World Cup is completely real.

Source: https://znews.vn/tham-hoa-rudiger-post1582891.html