Rudiger: Pity that Germany v Italy came so early

The Giallorossi defender took to social media to praise Germany, who eliminated Italy from a major tournament for the first time in their history, but bemoaned the fact that Germany and Italy had crossed paths so early on in the tournament.

“Congratulations Germany! Semi-finals!” Rudiger wrote on Instagram. “But chin up, Italy! You were a strong team. It’s a pity that #GERITA had to face so early during Euro 2016.”

Rudiger, who initially joined Roma on loan in the summer of 2015 and recently made the move permanent, was named in the Germany squad for Euro 2016 but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the national-team training camp, ruling him out of the tournament.