European Championship quarter-finals Quarter-final specialist Neuer as trump card against Spain
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer conceded 116 goals in 123 matches for Germany, less than one per game. Photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
When Manuel Neuer is in goal for the DFB in a quarter-final, nothing can go wrong. Will this tournament series continue against Spain?
The oldest member of the German national football team will also be particularly important against Spain: Manuel Neuer, the quarter-final specialist in the DFB goal. The 38-year-old Bayern goalkeeper wants to crown his impressive international career with a title at the home European Championship. The 2014 world champion is still missing this title in his footballing resume. “We have been ready for the European Championship title for a long time,” said Neuer.
For him, it is now a matter of putting the “last piece of the puzzle” in place. The strong Spaniards will be the ultimate test of maturity on Friday (6 p.m./ARD and MagentaTV) on the way to the final in Berlin. “I feel good and look forward to every game,” said Neuer in an interview with MagentaTV. Neuer has been able to dispel initial doubts about his status as a reliable number one and as a support in the tournament so far.
116 goals conceded in 123 international matches, 50 clean sheets
In the 2-0 win against Denmark in the round of 16, he kept a clean sheet for the 50th time in an international match. In 123 matches for Germany, he only conceded 116 goals, less than one per match. His record is 81 wins, 23 draws and 19 defeats. Neuer was in goal for the DFB for 10,980 minutes, which is 183 hours or 7.6 days.
But what is more important: With Neuer in goal, the national team has so far successfully contested every quarter-final match in a tournament. And the eternal German number one has played a part in this on several occasions. 2010 World Cup in South Africa: 4-0 against Argentina. 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine: 4-2 against Greece. 2014 World Cup in Brazil: A 1-0 win against France on the way to winning the title.
The penalty drama against Italy
And most recently at the 2016 European Championship: Germany’s first ever tournament victory against arch-rivals Italy, when Neuer was able to save shots from Leonardo Bonucci and Matteo Darmian in a dramatic penalty shootout with a total of 18 shooters and several missed attempts on both sides after a 1:1 draw after 120 minutes. Who knows, Neuer could end up being called upon again as a penalty hero against Spain in Stuttgart.
dpa
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