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Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger has confirmed that he is fine following a freak injury.
The German collided with Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin during the two teams' UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday (October 11). Both players had their eyes on Toni Kroos' delivery and Rudiger ultimately got his head on the ball to score an injury-time equalizer.
In doing so, he collided with Trubin and seemed to have suffered a cut on his head, with blood gushing out. The central defender's goal was one of the last moments of action in the game that ended 1-1.
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Rudiger has now taken to Twitter to post a message for his fans. He shared an image of him bleeding and receiving treatment on the pitch and wrote:
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger 👊🏽"
The Real Madrid defender added:
"I am okay - thanks for all your messages 🤞🏽🙏🏽 #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve"
Rudiger's brave header proved vital for Los Blancos as they extended their unbeaten streak across all competitions this season to 13 matches. He also enjoyed an excellent match otherwise against Shakhtar, recording three interceptions, four tackles, five clearances and a block.
In addition, Rudiger completed 91% of his passes, including five accurate long balls, laid out a key pass and won seven of his nine duels.
Real Madrid shift focus to El Clasico after Shakhtar Donetsk draw
Real Madrid weren't at their marauding best against Shakhtar Donetsk, with several key players not making their starting XI. Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao are all injured, while Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr. and David Alaba found themselves on the bench.
After a largely uneventful first half, Los Blancos went behind less than a minute after the break. Oleksandr Zubkov put Shakhtar ahead in front of their home crowd, converting full-back Bogdan Mykhaylichenko's assist.
Ancelotti's troops looked destined for a first loss of the season as Trubin made a few key saves to keep his side in front. However, Toni Kroos ultimately made the difference with a superb pass over the top that was converted by Antonio Rudiger, albeit at some personal cost.
With the draw, Real Madrid remain atop Group F of the Champions League, four points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig. They also secured their place in the knockouts and are on course to finish on top of their group.
Their immediate focus, though, will be on the first official Clasico of the season. Real Madrid will host leaders Barcelona in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, October 16.
