News about Nico Schlotterbeck

CRAIG HOPE IN PARIS: At least he fronted up to the media for a few minutes, which is more than he had done in the previous 90 on the pitch. Ballon d'Or? Kylian Mbappe is the balloon headed for the door, and what a deflating exit this was, beaten 2-0 over two legs by Borussia Dortmund, the fifth best team in Germany. Big players - the best, the very best - they turn up on nights like this, and not just to whisper a few words to the press. Subdued just about captures his performance, too. For all the noise inside Parc des Princes, Mbappe was quiet, so quiet it screamed back at you. He was gagged, in part, by Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck. But there was something about his own body language that seemed restrictive - there were early distress signals in the form of a pass straight to a yellow jersey - and he reserved his most expressive action for a roll of the eyes when asked by the press if he would be supporting Real Madrid on Wednesday evening, the club he will join this summer. With that, Mbappe left. It was as if he had never been there at all.

Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck took a nasty tumble while celebrating the club reaching the Champions League final - but luckily the German appeared to walk away unscathed as he laughed off the fall.  The Bundesliga side toasted to a famous win over PSG, securing a 2-0 victory on aggregate across two legs as the brilliant team kept a clean sheet home and away before being seen dancing around the pitch after book their spot in the final at Wembley in June. Players were seen jumping up and down on a podium towards the edge of the pitch and an excited Schlotterbeck was seen approaching his team-mates as he attempted to join them. 

CRAIG HOPE AT SIGNAL IDUNA PARK: Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fullkrug fired in a first-half goal to seal a 1-0 victory over PSG in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday. Here, Mail Sport runs through what you might have missed on Wednesday night in Dortmund.

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund's match in the Klassiker Bundesliga rarely need any additional hype. However, the Allianz Arena's eagerly awaited meeting on Saturday has a number of intriguing sub-plots. Dortmund is just one point behind their two rivals in the Bundesliga table, with Dortmund eager to snap Bayern's decade-long stranglehold on the German trophy after being chased since the winter break.

After being limited to a 2-2 draw by struggling Borussia Dortmund, the team suffered a blow to their title hopes. Edin Terzic's team took the lead in the 38th minute thanks to Nico Schlotterbeck's spectacular kick before Schalke returned to level after losing after Marius Butler's goal five minutes after the break. With a thunder strike on the hour, Raphael Guerrero put the hosts ahead again, but Schalke stepped up even more through Kenan Karaman in the 79th minute.

Borussia Dortmund beat Freiburg 5-1 after Sebastien Haller scored his first goal since being sick on World Cancer Day. The Bundesliga match was played on Saturday, February 2nd, which is internationally recognized as World Cancer Day. Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but after recovery, he rejoined Dortmund's first-team, winning a 4-3 victory over Augsburg, bringing his first-team's first-team back to the Bundesliga team.

On Sunday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Augsburg 4-3, with striker Sebastien Haller making a return appearance after his cancer treatment. Augsburg managed to equalize three times before Gio Reyna's 78th minute looping shot gave the hosts victory in their season's return after a two-month break. Dortmund, who saw Ivory Coast forward Haller return to action as a second half substitute for his first appearance since his testicular cancer surgery and therapy, in July, finish sixth on 28 points.

According to reports, Hansi Flick was accused of showing favouritism against Bayern Munich players in Qatar. Despite beating Costa Rica 4-2 in their last match of the World Cup, the 2014 champions fell out on the group stage for their second straight tournament, raising serious concerns about Flick's future. According to news in Germany, the national team was split into two camps at the tournament due to Flick's suspected partiality against Bayern Munich players.

In their last game of Group E, Germany was surprisingly defeated 2-1 by Japan before losing a 2-1 draw against Costa Rica, who must now win to have a chance of advancement. Costa Rica's opponents, on the other hand, are determined on securing a spot in the next round after being thrashes by Spain from 7-0 to 1-0 triumph over Japan. With the match quickly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you should do below.

In Group E, Spain will face Germany, with both teams getting off to a rocky start in their respective World Cup campaigns. It couldn't have been any better for Spain after defeating Costa Rica 7-0 in one of the tournament's best performances so far. However, for Germany, the mood could not have been any different after they gave up a lead late in the game to lose a 2-1 loss to Japan, putting them on the brink of being kicked out. Sportmail takes you through all you need to hear about below as the match is near.

After Germany's humiliating World Cup loss to Japan, they have been savaged by the media, with Chelsea's Kai Havertz and coach Hansi Flick strong criticized. Havertz received their second lowest possible score in their ratings for their 2-1 loss in Qatar on Wednesday, leaving Germany hanging on the possibility of another early departure. This embarrassing score was also given to Serge Gnabry and defensive trio Niklas Sule, David Raum, and Nico Schlotterbeck, who received a 5 star rating for his game plan.

It's another day. Another huge World Cup upset! A heroic Japan team fought back to win by 2-1 over Germany in a thrilling afternoon at the Khalifa International Stadium. Thanks to an Ilkay Gundogan first half foul, Germany led for a large part of the game, but Hajime Moriyasu's squad refused to be defeated, and two late goals from replacements Ritsu Dona and Takuma Asano in the 75th and 83rd minutes wrote their name in the Qatar 2022 development storybook.

Japan stunned Germany by defeating four-time champions Germany in their first game of the Qatar World Cup. Germany took the lead in the first half in echoes of Argentina's humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia yesterday, but the underdogs maintained a 2-1 win after a spirited fight. Germany now faces an uphill battle against the Group of Death, with Costa Rica and fellow World Cup winners Spain playing in their group.

At an international level, not many teams can beat Germany. However, Spain has a history of doing exactly as a result of the last two decades. Spain has come out on top four times in the last seven meetings between the two teams, losing only once. Spain has defeated their opponents in the Euro 2008 final and the 2010 World Cup semi-finals in South Africa during this time. Matches have often been decided by the unexpected result, with little to distinguish the European giants. That's until Spain's last game in the Nations League in November 2020, when they defeated Spain 6-0 in a thrillingly one-sided match.

JANAGE FJORTOFT: Well before Erling Haaland moved to England, there were some very lazy pundits around. After Liverpool defeated Manchester City in the Community Shield, skeptics emerged again. Haaland wasn't at his best that day but, as I said at the time, if he plays badly and still has three good chances to score, imagine what he could be like? A few weeks ago, I shot a documentary with Erling detailing the process he and his consultants went through to select a team, compiling pros and cons, and assessing their relative strengths. Alfie's father, Alfie, was important, but they were also able to discuss options with his agent Mino Raiola before he died, and he accepted their decisions.

On Wednesday evening, the Bundesliga outfit will face Manchester City in their second group-stage match, with both teams hoping to capitalize on their opening day victories in Europe. Pep Guardiola's City defeated Sevilla 4-0, while Dortmund beat Dortmund 3-0 at home to Copenhagen, with Pep Guardiola's City thriving. Dortmund is missing the goals of Haaland (left) as he scored 86 goals in 89 games during his two-year stay in Germany, while Pep Guardiola's side has also been superb, scoring 12 times in seven games in the Premier League and Champions League so far, according to the Norwegian striker. It's about a lot more than just Edin Terzic's side, who seem to be going through a turbulent transition period after losing key striker Haaland in the summer. Not only has Haaland left, but there's plenty of rumors about Jude Bellingham's departure from Dortmund for Real Madrid or Liverpool at the end of the season. With the funds earned from the auction of Haaland, the German outfit was able to bring in the likes of Sebastien Haller (inset left), Karim Adeyemi, Nico Schlotterbeck, Salih Ozcan, Niklas Sule, Marcel Lotka, Alexander Meyer, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Tom Rothe. After scoring 34 goals in all competitions last season, Haller's signature from Ajax was seen as the replacement for Haaland.

On September 30, the next iteration of the video game is expected to be out, and Sportsmail will publish a list of players who have improved the most. After scoring 11 goals in 26 games across all competitions last season, France U20 international Ekitike's rating has risen from 61 all the way up to 76, an increase of 15 points. Newcastle's 20-year-old forward, who Newcastle were keen on signing in January, has signed a season-long loan transfer to Ligue 1 champions PSG, who have the option to make it permanent for £25.5 million. Djed Spence, a Tottenham defender, is also in double figures as a result of the rating increase. Spence put on a spectacular display in Nottingham Forest's FA Cup win over Arsenal last season, and he was instrumental in Steve Cooper's promotion to the Premier League in his 42 appearances. Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also ranked top among those remaining in the top 25 of the list, with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale ranked fifth out of those remaining.

With the Champions League group stage draw, just 90 days after Vinicius Junior's champion for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the Paris final. The draw in Istanbul on Thursday evening will determine the final on June 10 next year, and the cream of European football will await the outcome. Sportsmail has the inside scoop on each of the 32 teams that will participate in the draw at 5 p.m. on Thursday.