First red card as a professional
Redsinner Manuel Neuer didn’t want to talk about the key scene with his sending off again in the dressing room. “Our colleagues know that. I’ve already apologized to one or the other on the pitch,” said the captain of FC Bayern Munich after the round of 16 exit in the DFB Cup against defending champions Bayer Leverkusen.
“This is of course decisive for the game,” said the 38-year-old goalkeeper himself. “It hurts us and of course I’m sorry.” He had previously explained his view of the incident on “Sky”: “This is not a really active situation , where I try to hurt him (Jeremie Frimpong, editor). The thing is, I don’t really touch the ball either. He runs into me and tries to accept it gratefully.” In the end, the red card was okay, said Neuer: “I also hoped that it was an offside situation. In the end you are powerless and have to accept what is decided.”
Neuer received his first dismissal in the 17th minute in his 867th game as a professional footballer including the national team. After a long ball from visiting captain Jonathan Tah, the keeper stopped the onrushing Frimpong with a hard body check outside the penalty area. Referee Harm Osmers showed red. He had to accept that, said the long-time national goalkeeper after the undisputed sending off. There were no accusations from teammates after the painful defeat. “I didn’t see it as deciding the game. “Manu has saved us many times,” said Joshua Kimmich. “99.9 percent of the time he makes the right decisions. No blame!”
Praise for FC Bayern from the coach and sports director
Long outnumbered, the people of Munich rebelled. The victory went to the double winner thanks to a joker goal from Nathan Tella in the 69th minute. “A trophy is gone, that hurts,” said sports director Max Eberl. Nevertheless, he also found words of praise: “I thought the team’s reaction was outstanding. In the stands I had the feeling that we were the team that wanted to win the game.” Nevertheless, it is still worth remembering that the Munich team were eliminated early in the cup for the fifth time in a row.
The performance with one less man on the pitch also impressed coach Vincent Kompany. “If the energy stays, then we will win a lot in the future,” said the Belgian. “No more cup this year.” There was no criticism of Neuer’s sending off from the coach either. “Manu has made a decision. This is football. And that’s part of it.”
Kimmich also rated the performance against Leverkusen, who were primarily focused on defense, as very good. “It was one of our best performances. Of course it annoys me extremely that the first title is gone,” emphasized the 29-year-old. “The end is annoying, we all play football to win. But we are on the right track, even if the end hurts.”
