Germany forward Niclas Fullkrug, who fired the winning goal in their last warmup game against Oman on Wednesday, had to miss his team's first training on Qatari soil because he came down with a flu virus, the team informed on Saturday. Germany stepped on the pitch at the Al Shamal stadium in the northern tip of Qatar as they ready themselves for their opening World Cup Group E match against Japan on Wednesday.
However, the 29-year-old Fullkrug, who was a sudden addition to the team after his phenomenal Bundesliga performances for Werder Bremen this season, had to skip the entire session because of the flu. The forward, the highest-scoring German player in the Bundesliga this season with 10 goals, grabbed the winning goal on his Germany debut after arriving as a substitute on Wednesday for a 1-0 win.