Toni Kroos: Real Madrid star showed he's a football genius before Rudiger equaliser

Antonio Rudiger showed incredible bravery to score an injury-time equaliser for Real Madrid against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

The European champions were surprisingly trailing the Ukrainian side after Oleksandr Zubkov had put the hosts on the brink of a famous victory.

However, in the 95th minute, Rudiger and Real Madrid broke Shakhtar’s hearts.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were desperately searching for a late equaliser when they sent Rudiger forward.

In fact, midfielder Toni Kroos appeared to orchestrate the move.

Just minutes previously with the ball at his feet, the German midfielder waved Rudiger forward. He then lofted a beautiful pass onto the head of Rudiger, who put it just wide with his header.

Kroos asked Rudiger to come forward two minutes before the goal and put in a perfect cross. He did the exact same thing two minutes later and it ended in a goal. Genius. pic.twitter.com/wDNxkCobSN

But it was second time lucky.

The former Chelsea defender got his head on the end of another Kroos long ball to nod the ball past Donetsk goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin. The clash was sickening and the Real Madrid man came off worse with blood covering his face and dripping down onto his white Real shirt.

Rudiger had rescued a point for Real Madrid – but it was all thanks to the genius of Kroos to not only direct the forward run but to play the inch-perfect pass.

Rudiger scores the equalizer