9th matchday
Neuer experiences Bayern’s goal festival during its comeback
Back in the Bayern goal: Manuel Neuer (r) parries a shot from Darmstadt’s Marvin Mehlem. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
Manuel Neuer experiences a “bizarre” comeback game in Bayern’s 8-0 win over Darmstadt. Once he stops brilliantly. For the first time in the Bundesliga there are three red cards in the first half.
“It was a very emotional day. I was also positively excited,” said the 37-year-old national soccer goalkeeper after his FC Bayern’s crazy 8-0 (0-0) win against Darmstadt 98. A first in the Bundesliga with three reds Card before the break and eight goals in the majority in the second half – Neuer’s return was a spectacle.
“The first half was bizarre. Three red cards, wow, that was crazy,” said Neuer after the storm to the top of the table. Even the new national coach and his ex-Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann had “wished him luck” the day before, as Neuer revealed.
Kane: New one “brings a lot of personality”
His teammates were happy for him. “He’s one of the best goalkeepers in history. He brings a lot of personality,” said goalscorer Harry Kane. England’s captain was the man of the game with three goals (51st/68th/88th minute), but Neuer was the man of the day. The double packers Leroy Sané (56th/64th) and Jamal Musiala (61st/76th) as well as substitute Thomas Müller (71st) also scored. With every goal in the dominant second half, Neuer increasingly relaxed and raised his hands in celebration. “I gave the coach the green light that it would work well,” said Neuer.
The captain played an important role in the victory with a great save against Marvin Mehlem when the score was 0-0. In addition to this action, the red cards for Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich (4th) as well as Darmstadt’s defenders Klaus Gjasula (21st) and Matej Maglica (41st) stood out – each after emergency braking.
Applause for Neuer during the warm-up
Neuer was the first to get off the Bayern bus when he arrived at the stadium before the game. And when he stepped onto the pitch to warm up, applause erupted in the wide circle. It was a cold start almost eleven months after the last game in Germany’s early World Cup exit in Qatar. “The best thing was being back on the pitch with the boys.”
Neuer led the Bayern team as captain, but another star quickly came into focus. After a pass from Neuer, Kimmich suffered a blatant loss of the ball against Mehlem, which the Munich midfielder corrected with an emergency brake. There was a red card – and Kimmich will be suspended for Bayern in the upcoming top game at Borussia Dortmund. “I pluck it at the beginning,” complained Kimmich, who found red too harsh. Coach Thomas Tuchel was annoyed that he would now be missing a “key player” against BVB.
Bavaria first outnumbered, then outnumbered
In a crazy first half, Bayern first had to find their way when they were outnumbered, then failed several times due to the guest goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen, who was still outstanding in this phase, before two similar emergency breaks from Gjasula against Konrad Laimer and Maglica against Kane put the guests outnumbered. Previously, Neuer had his greatest comeback appearance when, face to face with Mehlem, he quickly prevented the score from being 0-1 with a foot save. The Bayern fans celebrated the number one for this action.
At ten against nine, Bayern ultimately had an easy game and were able to get in the mood for Dortmund with a goal festival to their hearts’ content. The people of Darmstadt were now defenseless. The outstanding Kane scored the goal of the day with a shot from his own half over Schuhen. “It’s the first time I’ve managed that,” said Kane. After nine games this season, the 100 million euro man has scored twelve times.
After being substituted on, Müller, who was initially back on the bench, was able to celebrate his 145th goal in his 450th Bundesliga game. “Everything was great, 8-0, great,” said the 34-year-old. The happiest player in the arena was still Manuel Neuer.