Bayern Munich was eliminated by Real Madrid (2-1) at the gates of the Champions League final on Wednesday. Guilty on Joselu’s first goal (88th), Manuel Neuer misjudged the rebound on Vinicius’ shot. The German blamed himself after the game.
Imperial for 88 minutes, Manuel Neuer released a ball which cost Bayern Munich dearly. If the Bavarian club led 1-0 against Real Madrid, hoping to qualify for the Champions League final, Joselu tied the two teams by taking advantage of an error by the goalkeeper.
“No matter how the goal is scored, I feel bad,” Manuel Neuer commented after the game in comments reported by kicker. Before explaining his action, he who had difficulty catching a ball on a shot from Vinicius: “The ball did not come as expected. In fact, I was rather expecting it to arrive on the chest and it came towards the lower part of the neck and I had difficulty catching it.”
“If there’s anyone who didn’t deserve this, it’s Manu”
Manuel Neuer thought he was “holding the ball safely” but it therefore “went a little higher” and it was then “difficult” for him to stop it. The German goalkeeper was, however, able to count on the support of his coach Thomas Tuchel: “It’s so annoying. If there is anyone who didn’t deserve this, it’s Manu,” commented the coach. “It’s unthinkable that Manu would make this mistake, and he’s doing it tonight, after his world-class match… We know where he comes from, everything he’s done.”
In the process, Joselu scored a double (90+1′) and Bayern Munich was eliminated, not without controversy due to a goal canceled by Matthijs de Ligt at the end of the match (90+12′) for a offside position far from obvious and where the referee blew the whistle very quickly.
Manuel Neuer will therefore have a blank season at club, which is unusual for a goalkeeper who has been present since 2011 at Bayern Munich. In principle, the 38-year-old should be the Mannschaft’s starting goalkeeper for the Euro at home this summer. Injured in a skiing accident in December 2022, he has not played with the selection again since the World Cup.