Loris Karius picked up the Player of the Match Award for his game changing stops against Bayern Munich. Captain and fellow goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tipped his hat for his opponent who single handedly kept his team in the contest.
A sluggish start
Bayern took their sweet time to find their rhythm in the game. The hosts however showed no inclination to allow their opponents a slow start. However once they found their groove, Vincent Kompany’s men really turned up the pressure and forced Schalke deep into their half.
“We had 15 minutes where we didn’t have optimal positioning and pace, otherwise I think we dominated the game and all stats speak for us. We weren’t efficient and didn’t take our big chances,” said Neuer (as captured by @iMiaSanMia) as he lamented his side’s ineffectiveness in finishing chances.
Game recognizes game
“Loris deserved the man of the match, he made 3 really big saves,” said Neuer heaping praise on his Schalke counterpart. Karius was crucial with his shotstopping. The reaction save against Nathaniel Brown kept the game in the balance and prevented the visitors from gaining the early advantage.
Harry Kane who launched a precise rocket in the 88 minute from outside the box. It was tipped over by a flying Karius as seen in the picture above. The Bayern striker took the shot with very little time and a save needed a lightning quick reaction along with an accurate anticipation of the distance.
The save against Olise had to be the save of the night. Karius poked out his right leg to keep out the grounded shot from Michael at very short range. The vast experience of the 33 year-old shotstopper was evident as he read Olise’s body movements and predicted a grounded shot because there was very little time to course correct.
Mood ahead
Despite losing a record run at the top of the Bundesliga table, the captain remained cool and set the focus on the upcoming games.
“We don’t really need to look at the table after two games. We have a Champions League game next week, we want to win and have a good start. Then we have a tough away game in Elversberg. We’re taking it game by game,” remarked Neuer ahead of the grueling week where his side will be back in the Champions League against Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
