Manuel Neuer has had a legendary career. High risks, hijinks, you name it — the OG sweeper-keeper redefined the position and has always gotten away with the impossible.
Until now.
In the first half of Bayern Munich’s 0-1 DFB-Pokal defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, Neuer made a critical error in judgment. Leverkusen had been testing Bayern with long balls since the opening whistle — using the pace of Jeremie Frimpong, in particular, to challenge Bayern’s back line. And when center-back Jonathan Tah lined up to lob another one over the top, Neuer decided to help his guys out.
He was never getting there in time, though. With his own teammates, Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano already bracketing the Leverkusen speedster, Neuer lunged for a header and instead bundled broad-shouldered into Frimpong.
It was a straight red — and the very first sending off of his career.
“I didn’t try to hurt him, I tried to get the ball but didn’t get there in time,” Neuer explained after the match in comments captured by @iMiaSanMia. “I was hoping he would be in an offside position. I can’t change it now. It was a mistake and I have to accept it, unfortunately I have no other choice.”
The mistake changed the course of the game — only 17 minutes old at that point. And with Bayern going down eventually in defeat, despite a brave fight back, the Bayern captain could only stand in front of the cameras afterward and take the heat upon himself.
“It hurt us and I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s definitely a big disappointment. It wasn’t easy after the red card. The boys tried everything and invested a lot, you can’t blame them. I apologized to the team,” he added.
Bayern certainly did not make it easy for Leverkusen, and Neuer’s deputy, Daniel Peretz, had a solid performance in emergency relief. But for the veteran keeper, who built his career around backing himself to do the audacious and the outlandish, it was a cold hard lesson that he — even he — is not superhuman.
But credit where credit is due. Neuer stepped up to the plate and took all the responsibility for the matter, taking to social media and talking to the media in the tense aftermath of a stinging defeat.
And that is the stuff that real leaders are made of. ◆
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s shocking 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal? Then you came to the right place. Check out the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify or below:
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