Germany’s national team lost their World Cup match against Ecuador 1-2. The decisive goal came in the 77th minute when Manuel Neuer tried to catch the ball but grasped at thin air. Ecuadorian striker Gonzalo Plata poked the ball into the net with his left foot.
Neuer firmly rejected criticism of his action. “No!” the 40-year-old replied when asked if he took the blame for the mistake. He called it a “completely normal situation” and explained: “Every goalkeeper who has ever played knows that I have to position myself like that to the ball and try to catch it that way.” He said he did not see the scorer from behind. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann backed his goalkeeper, describing the situation as “extremely unfortunate.”
Neuer’s group stage record is mixed: three games, four goals conceded, no world-class saves. Nagelsmann, however, stood by his decision to bring the retired goalkeeper back. “There hasn’t been a goalkeeping performance yet,” he said, adding that the first three goals were barely saveable. The round of 16 match on Monday (10:30 PM CEST) could already be Germany’s last game of the tournament.
Source: www.faz.net
