Manuel Neuer’s 500th competitive game for FC Bayern was overshadowed by the memory of the late Franz Beckenbauer. The 37-year-old was the guarantee of victory alongside double goalscorer Jamal Musiala in the 3-0 win against Hoffenheim.
In good spirits in the 500th game: Manuel Neuer. picture alliance / Wagner
The mood in the Allianz Arena on Friday evening? Kind of subdued and weird. The memory of Franz Beckenbauer, followed by the fans’ twelve-minute silent protest against a DFL investor and a game that sputtered along in the first half. And one that could easily have been overturned between the 63rd and 65th minutes after the break and with Bayern’s narrow 1-0 lead. Manuel Neuer had something against it. First, the captain reflexively brushed a header from Maximilian Beier towards a corner, then he defused it against Andrej Kramaric, who was charging towards him alone. Neuer was lucky a little later when Beier shot onto the top edge of the crossbar. “That was an important phase. I’m glad it didn’t happen in the 80th or 85th minute, I was still relatively warm because I had just come out of the locker room,” said Neuer, referring to the sub-zero temperatures in the stadium .
The goalkeeper received praise from his teammates. “Luckily we have Manu at the back, he held up brilliantly,” praised Joshua Kimmich. Thomas Müller put it in his own way: “Unfortunately we also needed Manu in the middle of the second half. That was nice for him, but also for us if it turns out that way,” said the vice-captain, who was in the first half Parade had looked closely from a close distance: “The thieving joy when he had this handball action was nice to see.”
Neuer’s 500th competitive game in the Bayern jersey
A class performance at the anniversary, after all, Neuer played his 500th competitive game in the Bayern jersey. “That’s quite a number. I never expected it to work so well for so long and so successfully,” said Neuer, referring to his start in 2011. It’s all the more remarkable how he came back after his serious leg injury at the end of 2022 and a ten-month break is. “Everything that comes now is a bonus for me after the serious injury. I always believed that I could come back. We all wanted it to work out that way.” Not the worst conditions for Munich in the spring when they have someone new in goal who can win games.
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#Müller #Neuer #thieving #joy #nice
