This evening is particularly painful for Manuel Neuer. The red card shown to the captain proved to be decisive in Bayern Munich’s early cup exit. Coach Kompany offers a prognosis.
Manuel Neuer, who received a red card, was reluctant to discuss the pivotal moment of his dismissal in the Bayern dressing room. “The colleagues know about it. I already apologized on the pitch to one or two of them,” said the Bayern Munich captain after the 0-1 defeat to defending champions Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16.
“It’s obviously game-changing,” the 38-year-old goalkeeper assessed. “It hurts us, and of course, I regret it.” The first title pursued by the Bundesliga leaders this season has slipped away.
In what was his 867th game as a professional footballer, Neuer received his first red card in the 17th minute. Following a long ball from visiting captain Jonathan Tah, the 38-year-old keeper halted the onrushing Jeremie Frimpong with a hard body check outside the penalty area. Referee Harm Osmers brandished the red card. The long-serving national goalkeeper acknowledged the indisputable dismissal saying he had to accept it.
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No accusations came from teammates after the painful loss. “I didn’t see it as a game-changer. Manu has saved us many times before,” said national team captain Joshua Kimmich. “99.9 percent of the time, he makes the right decisions. No blame!”
With a man down, the Munich players fought back. However, the victory went to the double winners from the Rhine through a substitute goal from Nathan Tella in the 69th minute. “One cup is gone; that hurts,” said sporting director Max Eberl. Nevertheless, he also found words of praise: “I thought the reaction from the team was outstanding. From the stands, I felt more like we were the team that wanted to win the game.”
The performance with one less player on the pitch also impressed coach Vincent Kompany. “If the energy remains, we will win a lot in the future,” said the Belgian. “Not this year’s cup, however.”
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Even Kompany did not criticize Neuer’s red card. “Manu made a decision. That’s football. And it’s part of it,” said the 38-year-old.
Kimmich also rated the performance against the primarily defensive Leverkusen side as very good. “It was one of our best performances. Of course, it annoys me extremely that the first title is gone,” said the 29-year-old. “The exit is frustrating; we all play football to win. But we are on the right path, even though the exit hurts.”
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