Manuel Neuer was exceptional for 87 minutes of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid — but in the 88th minute, it all unravelled.
With Bayern holding a 1-0 lead on Wednesday night, the 38-year-old’s nightmare started with a poor throw out to his left, which led to pressure from Madrid and a turnover at a crucial moment.
After a quick exchange of passes through the midfield, Madrid cycled the ball out to the opposite wing, ultimately finding Vinicius Junior in a dangerous position just outside Bayern’s penalty box. Vinicius Jr took a few touches inside and then sent a dipping effort on target.
Rather than landing softly into Neuer, the ball bounced off his chest and back into play, right to a hard-charging Joselu, who rifled the ball into the back of the net.
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With Bayern in a state of shock, Joselu struck again in stoppage time, converting a cutback from Antonio Rudiger to propel his side into the Champions League final. Neuer had a look of disgust on his face as the winner went in. He knew it was his mistake that cost his team the match.
The mistake against Vinicius Jr was the type of shot Neuer had saved thousands of times. This time he got it all wrong, but why?
Errors can happen for all sorts of reasons — a lapse of concentration, poor positioning, or a breakdown in technique — but against Real, things broke down simply due to a slight misjudgement from Neuer at a crucial moment.
As Vinicius Jr cut inside and lifted his leg back to shoot, Neuer was initially upright and in a good set position with his hands at his side as he prepared for the shot.
With the ball travelling towards him, Neuer then had to analyse (in a split second, mind you) the pace of the shot, the trajectory of the ball and what technique he needed to use to save the ball. The information he gathered told him the ball was dipping toward him, so he needed to use the ‘basket’ technique to make the save.
When executing the ‘basket’ catch, you want to present your hands out to the ball, creating a pathway for the ball to follow towards your body. As the shot comes in, you guide the ball into your chest/stomach, allowing it to hit your body first and cushion the blow. It’s then vital to wrap your hands and forearms tightly around the ball and bring your head and body over to grip it while maintaining forward momentum and balance.
When the ball was about eight yards from his goal, Neuer started to lower his chest and extend his arms to prepare and absorb the shot into his stomach.
However, as the ball bounced off the grass, it jumped a bit higher than he expected, catching him off guard.
Neuer did his best to absorb the pace of the shot but as it came towards him, it kept rising and ricocheted off his chest into the path of Joselu, who anticipated the rebound and equalised.
Though his decision to use the basket technique was correct, it was his inefficient execution that resulted in a goal.
The biggest misjudgement Neuer made was committing himself too early and bending his chest over prematurely. His lower-than-optimal stance that followed hampered his chances of catching the ball cleanly, limiting his ability to make any adjustments as the ball skipped off the ground a little higher and harder than he expected.
If he had kept his body shape more upright and remained bigger for longer, it would have given him the flexibility to adjust to the bounce and caress the ball safely into his grip. His crouched body shape meant that was not possible.
The black line above Neuer’s back (above) shows the angle at which he should be angled to handle Vinicius Jr’s shot on target.
A slightly raised set position would have been beneficial because it would have put him in a better position to react either up or down and minimise the distance his hands needed to travel to catch the ball (which also meant he would have been quicker in either direction). It would have kept his body better in balance and reduced the risk of him falling backwards as he tried to catch the ball.
As the ball bounced, you could already see the hesitation from Neuer as his weight began to shift from the balls of his feet onto his heels.
It was at this moment he knew he was in trouble.
With the ball closing in, he started to fall back as he attempted to prepare himself to absorb the shot. As the ball hit his chest, it pushed all his momentum backwards, throwing him off balance and making it virtually impossible to hold the ball. Neuer tried to adjust, but it was too late.
Goalkeeping is all about percentages and knowing what to do in certain situations. In his 20-year career, Neuer has seen and done more than most, but he just got it wrong.
He told Sky Austria: “Anyone who’s ever played football knows how I’m feeling right now. That we’ve been knocked out in the closing stages, having led 1-0 until the 85th minute, it’s extremely bitter. We’d taken one step to London, we saw ourselves in the final and I’m lost for words. It’s extremely bitter for me.
“I expected the ball to land a bit differently to my chest but it went a bit higher and it was difficult to get a hold of it. And then Joselu was there quicker and it was difficult to defend. For a goalkeeper who’s been around for a while, it’s something I’ve already experienced, but the goal was brutal.”
Neuer has been brilliant up to that point. He made five saves, each of them spectacular. His double save in the first half was as good as any he has made in years, certainly since he returned from the broken leg he suffered while skiing 18 months ago.
Some incredible saves from Neuer and Lunin tonight 👏
Which was the best? @TurkishAirlines || #UCLsaves pic.twitter.com/8bylSNLMsy
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 8, 2024
The life of a goalkeeper can be cruel. You can be lights out for the entire game and then, after one mistake, you go from hero to zero and no one remembers or cares how good you were before that. That’s part of a goalkeeper’s brutal existence.
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