Schlotterbeck injury fear as Germany prepare for Ecuador

Ecuador up next, top spot secured

Germany have won the group. The 2–1 victory over Ivory Coast, sealed in stoppage time, locked up first place before the final group match against Ecuador on Thursday at MetLife Stadium (2). Kickoff is 22:00 local time. A game where the result carries zero pressure, Nagelsmann can rotate freely.

Schlotterbeck injury: World Cup feared over

Nico Schlotterbeck is waiting on an MRI scan for a suspected torn ankle ligament suffered against Ivory Coast. If confirmed, his tournament is finished. That is a heavy blow to Germany's defensive depth heading into the knockout rounds. Nagelsmann will need to find a reliable replacement quickly.

Schweinsteiger sparks racism storm

Bastian Schweinsteiger is at the centre of a racism controversy after describing Ivory Coast's football as "sometimes wild" during his TV analysis, with French outlet RMC Sport reporting the remarks have caused outrage in Germany (4). The comment was widely condemned as a racist stereotype about African football.

Undav is making the starting job impossible to ignore

Three goals and two assists across two group games from the bench. That equals a World Cup record for goal involvements by a substitute. Deniz Undav is forcing Nagelsmann's hand. Nick Woltemade, who helped secure Germany's qualification, has not seen the pitch at all during the tournament (3). With the group already won, Thursday against Ecuador could be Undav's chance to start.

Havertz: from Champions League pain to World Cup focus

Kai Havertz admitted the Champions League final loss with Arsenal against PSG was brutal. "After the match, I initially thought we would call the whole thing off. By the next morning, things looked different" (1). Havertz scored early in that final, a goal that nearly held up for an hour. Now, his focus is entirely on the national team's campaign.

Fan-reaktioner

Germany fans on Reddit are already looking past Ecuador toward the knockout bracket. A thread on r/soccer debated how FIFA's tiebreaker rules, where head-to-head comes before goal difference, affect teams who have already clinched their group, with one supporter saying goal differential would keep dead-rubber matches more competitive. Read the discussion here.