Manuel Neuer found himself unwittingly in the spotlight during FC Bayern’s 2-2 draw in Augsburg. The record champion’s goalkeeper made a mistake early in the game—one with serious consequences.
Neuer allowed FC Augsburg to take a 1-0 lead after just eight seconds, marking the fastest goal ever scored in the Bundesliga. Robin Fellhauer was the one who capitalized on the mistake, ultimately having only to tap the ball into the empty net.
After the game, Neuer—who had a disastrous performance throughout the match—was visibly dejected and anything but satisfied with his play.
Neuer: “I should have made a different decision.”
In the mixed zone, the Bayern goalkeeper said: “It was a stupid mistake on my part. I had to shift the ball to my left because two players were closing in on me from the right. Then I tried to find a solution. But I simply should have made a different decision.”
What was going through Neuer’s mind afterward? “First, I had to take a moment to collect myself and take a deep breath. Of course, there was still a lot of hope because it was the first minute. That’s why there was still a chance we could turn the game around,” explained the FC Bayern captain.
Bayern did indeed have plenty of chances and showed promising signs in their attacking play, especially in the second half. In the end, however, it was their inability to convert those chances that thwarted the record champions’ plans. And the offside rule. Four of Bayern’s goals were ruled out for offside.
„We had chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize on them. We also had some bad luck with a few close offside calls. It’s a game most of us have never experienced before. It was pretty bizarre to score so many goals only to have them disallowed,” Neuer added.
The discussions surrounding the Bayern goalkeeper are sure to be reignited by this game in Augsburg.