Manuel Neuer experiences a bitter premiere in the cup knockout against Leverkusen. The Bayern goalkeeper is shown the red card after a foul outside the penalty area.
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- Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen knocked FC Bayern out of the DFB Cup in the round of 16.
- Manuel Neuer was sent off for the first time in what the club claimed was his 867th match as a professional footballer.
- The 38-year-old keeper stopped the onrushing Jeremie Frimpong with a hard body check outside the penalty area.
For Germany's record goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the first red card of his professional career is obviously difficult to accept. "The sending off hurt, of course," said the 38-year-old on Sky TV after FC Bayern's 1-0 cup knockout loss to defending champions Bayer Leverkusen, describing the pre-decisive scene against Jeremie Frimpong from his point of view: "It's not really an active situation where I'm trying to hurt him. The thing is, I'm not really touching the ball either. He runs into me and tries to take it gratefully."
In the end, it was okay, said Neuer: "I also hoped it was an offside situation. In the end, you're powerless and have to accept what's decided." Neuer had already been shown the red card by referee Harm Osmers in the 17th minute. It was the first sending-off in his 867th game in professional football.
"I've already apologized to one or two people on the pitch," said Nuer. "Of course, that's decisive for the game," said the 38-year-old.
Nagelsmann finds red indisputable, but unfortunate
The keeper was too late against Leverkusen's Frimpong outside the penalty area and rammed into the Dutchman in a tackle. "Manu is a very clever goalkeeper who normally smells these balls. It didn't work at that moment. And then it happened that we were one down," added Bayern sporting director Max Eberl.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann did not want to criticize his European Championship goalkeeper too harshly. Such a situation is always difficult for a goalkeeper. "The sending off is indisputable, albeit unfortunate," said Nagelsmann on ARD. "You're always smarter afterwards." In this case, the better alternative would probably have been to stand a little deeper and wait. Neuer ended his national team career in the summer after the European Championship quarter-final exit.
dpa
