RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Portugal left back Fabio Coentrao has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup with a muscle strain.
The Portuguese football federation said yesterday that the Real Madrid defender strained his right abductor muscle during a 4-0 loss to Germany on Monday, when he was forced to leave the field in the 65th minute.
He told reporters after the game that he feared his World Cup had “come to an end”.
Coentrao recorded a video message for fans saying how disappointed he was to miss the rest of the tournament.
Striker Hugo Almeida and goalkeeper Rui Patricio will remain with the squad. Almeida limped off mid-way through the first half in Salvador with a muscle injury while Patricio played the whole game but was later diagnosed with a thigh injury.
Portugal play the United States in Manaus on Saturday and will also be without suspended defender Pepe.
