The goalkeeper almost made a fatal mistake with an unfortunate move shortly before the end when he came far out of his goal to intercept an attack by the Ukrainians. But instead of playing the ball out of play or into the opponent’s half, Neuer didn’t get far: he chipped the ball onto the head of Andriy Yarmolenko. He immediately played it into the path of Artem Dovbyk. The FC Girona striker was free enough to run alone towards the empty German goal. But by then the flag had already been raised.
Since Neuer was standing almost at the halfway line and thus in front of the last German defender, Dovbyk’s penalizing position was clearly visible to the assistant. Julian Nagelsmann had also seen it immediately from his bench, so the national coach’s excitement was limited, even though Dovbyk pushed the ball into the goal and the Ukrainians cheered: “The shock was not great, because it was clear in a millisecond that the player was offside,” he said.
“I didn’t even see him”
Nevertheless, the question arose as to why Neuer played the ball so carelessly. “I didn’t see Jarmolenko at all,” said the Munich goalkeeper late in the evening in Nuremberg. In his field of vision was defender Robin Koch, whose back pass was “a bit short.” And on the left, where Jarmolenko was standing, he “saw Maxi (Mittelstädt) more likely.” Since Koch dropped to the left, “it was a clear situation for me that I would chip the ball to the left.”
Nagelsmann did not want to blame his number one, after all Neuer is the prototype of a goalkeeper who plays along. The national coach would not have liked the reserved version either. “If he doesn’t get him, if he stands deeper and doesn’t play along, then it is a much bigger mistake with more serious consequences,” he said. And so at the end of an evening without goals, other topics were in focus than a mistake by Neuer with the potential to decide the game.
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It was uncertain for a long time whether the 38-year-old goalkeeper would be back on the pitch in an international match. The complicated leg fracture after the serious skiing accident in December 2022 could also have meant the end of his career. “It was a long road, a rocky road and a lot of hard work. If I hadn’t stuck with it, I wouldn’t have made it,” said Neuer in Nuremberg, where he didn’t have much to do but exuded confidence except for the failed move in the 88th minute.
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In March, he had to miss the victories in France and over the Netherlands because he tore a muscle fibre in training with the national team. Now, just before the start of the European Championship in his own country, which could be the end of his career in the DFB team, he is back – and happy. “It’s a wonderful feeling, I’m happy to be back with the national team. I missed it,” he said after his 118th international match.
Neuer agreed with the performance in the penultimate test before the start of the tournament on June 14 in Munich against Scotland, despite the goalless draw. “Unfortunately, we were not rewarded for the many opportunities we had,” he said. “I think we showed a good defensive performance.” The German team was stable, “regardless of what the coach tried and whether there were any substitutions. We maintained structure and dominance in defense.” That was crucial.
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Nagelsmann decided early on that Neuer would be the number one. The one who suffers, once again, is Marc-André ter Stegen. The FC Barcelona goalkeeper joined the national team on Monday because the national coach allowed him a few extra days of rest after a long season. Neuer’s long absence had given ter Stegen hope that he would be able to play in a tournament for the first time at the age of 32. But as has always been the case since the 2010 World Cup, the number one is Neuer.
He understands the difficult situation of his eternal rival: “Marc knows the situation. You have to say, it’s unfortunately like that, because he really is a world-class goalkeeper who has shown good performances. But that’s also part of the business.” It is a well-known problem in the goalkeeper position, only one can play. And the one the national coach chose will, in his opinion, do well, despite some recent uncertainties at FC Bayern: “Manu will play an excellent European Championship,” said Nagelsmann before the Ukraine game – and Neuer’s inconsequential mistake.
