MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return.
Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field.
Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.

MADRID: There was still no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open on Tuesday, putting in jeopardy the resumption of play a day after several matches had to be canceled.
Tournament organizers said the opening of the gates for fans was delayed until 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) because of the outage. They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches.
“Due to reasons beyond the organization’s control, the Caja Mágica is still without power supply as of this morning. As a result, the opening of the gates has been delayed, and we expect to open them at 11 a.m.,” they said.
The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday, stopping two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were underway. A total of 22 matches had to be canceled for the day.
Organizers said the games were called off “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel.” Spectators were told to leave the sports complex.
Power was restored at night through most parts of Madrid, and organizers had said late Monday that play would resume on Tuesday.
Among the matches expected for Tuesday included second-ranked Alexander Zverev facing Francisco Cerundolo. On the women’s side, the remaining six fourth-round matches were scheduled, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka facing Peyton Stearns and second-ranked Iga Swiatek taking on Diana Shnaider.
The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.