Roberto Martinez Slams Rudiger For Challenge On De Bruyne
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has slammed Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger for his challenge on Kevin De Bruyne in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.
Rudiger’s collision with De Bruyne left the Belgium midfielder with a fractured nose and left eye socket and had to be substituted in the second half as Manchester City lost 1-0 to the Blues.
De Bruyne now faces a race against time to be fit for the upcoming European Championships which starts on June 11.
Martinez is adamant Rudiger’s challenge was a deliberate one and that the German defender deserved more than the yellow card he was issued with.
“Rüdiger is very, very fortunate,” said Martínez. “When you look at the replay, there’s no clash of heads. He’s properly leaving the shoulder against Kevin.
"He seems concussed and we will see the state of that. But that leaves a sour taste, because Rüdiger’s holding his head [as if he too was injured] – it’s almost that he wants to show that he’s hiding something.
“For me, it was excessive force and it was reckless. And it should have been a red card.
"Kevin is not a player that goes down for no reason. You can see the pain and it’s a swollen eye.”
Belgium begin their EURO 2020 campaign on June 12 against Russia before facing Denmark and Finland in Group B.
