South Korea on Sunday confirmed that their captain Ki Sung-yueng will not be able to play in their final group stage match against Germany at the 2018 FIFA World Cup due to injury.
South Korea are scheduled to face defending champions Germany in their last Group F match in Kazan on Wednesday. A national team official, however, said Ki, South Korea's midfield control tower, will miss the match with a calf injury, reports Yonhap news agency.
"A medical inspection at a hospital showed that Ki damaged his left calf muscle," the official said ahead of the national team training at Spartak Stadium in Lomonosov, a suburb of Saint Petersburg. "He needs two weeks of treatment."
Ki started in South Korea's second Group F match against Mexico at Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don on Saturday. During the second half, the Swansea City midfielder was seen limping after he was brought down by a Mexican player.
After the match, the 29-year-old South Korean passed through the mixed zone on crutches without speaking to reporters.
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Ki has been one of the most influential players for the Taeguk Warriors at Russia 2018. He is the most experienced player on the South Korean squad with 104 caps.
South Korea currently sit in last place in Group F with two straight losses, but they can still advance to the round of 16 if they beat Germany and Sweden lose to Mexico.
In that case, South Korea, Germany and Sweden would all be tied at one win and two losses, and tiebreakers would determine their fates.
--IANS
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