Germany wins final World Cup tuneup without injured midfielder Lennart Karl

CHICAGO (AP) — Germany has some injury concerns going into the World Cup. It also has a nine-game win streak.

Germany played without Lennart Karl on Saturday, a day after the 18-year-old midfielder injured his thigh in training. But Leroy Sané and Kai Havertz scored as the 10th-ranked Germans beat the U.S. 2-1 at Soldier Field.

Next up for Germany is its World Cup opener on June 14 against Curaçao. It also has Group E games against the Ivory Coast on June 20 and Ecuador on June 25.

Karl has been ruled out for the tournament. He was coming off a breakout season with Bayern Munich, when he became the club’s youngest Champions League goal-scorer.

“Really tough. … I had a good connection to Lenny. He’s a great guy, a very young guy,” Germany defender David Raum said after the win over the U.S. “But yeah, we shared a lot of nice moments together also in this short time. I played in training always against him because he plays on the right wing. Yeah, we lose a good human being and an amazing player.”

Karl wrote on Instagram that it’s “indescribably painful” having to miss the World Cup. “Unfortunately injuries often come at the unluckiest time,” he posted.

Karl was replaced on the roster by midfielder Assan Ouédraogo, who plays with Raum on Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Ouédraogo has made one appearance for Germany, scoring during a 6-0 win over Slovakia in November.

“Very happy, yeah, to welcome him here, and he can help us also a lot,” Raum said.

With Manuel Neuer recovering from a calf muscle issue, goalkeeper Oliver Baumann started against the U.S.

The 40-year-old Neuer will go into the World Cup having not played for Germany in almost two years. He retired from the national team after the 2024 European Championship but agreed to a recall last month.

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup