It did not matter that he has just turned 40, or that he has only one game under his belt in the past month. Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was at his timeless, imperious best when it mattered in a Champions League quarterfinals first leg against Real Madrid.
And boy, did it matter.
Under the bright lights of the Bernabéu, Bayern put out a statement with a 2-1 win of the competition’s most charmed team. Invincibility aura? Smashed. And it was thanks to a stunning nine saves — several of them
of extraordinary quality — that Bayern managed to pull it off.
In an end-to-end affair that left even spectators gasping for air, Neuer bore the brunt of the Real Madrid onslaught. An error from Dayot Upamecano sent Kylian Mbappé in on goal, one-on-one — but the Bayern keeper was undeterred and, charging forward to meet the French national team super-striker, denied him just enough angle on the goal to force a shot into the side netting. Another Mbappé shot later on was met by a diving fingertip save…so too, tests from the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Brahim Díaz, even Éder Militão.
It was the type of game where tactics fell by the wayside, as both teams, abundant in attacking flair, poured on the pressure — or absorbed enough of it just to unleash a devastating fast break the other way. The game ended with Neuer facing 37 touches in his own box (his counterpart, Andriy Lunin, faced 45). Yet the pressure did not faze him, and Neuer even grew into the game — by the end, he was doing his trademark Neuer things, rushing halfway to midfield to meet testing long balls and not getting a single one wrong.
In the words of teammate Jonathan Tah: “For him it’s just another day in the office.” No big deal.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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