Mainz 05 furious! Equaliser against Bayern Munich ruled out – Manuel Neuer substituted due to injury after an acrobatic leap
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer suffered another injury away to FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga and came off before half-time.
In the 40th minute, Bayern looked to have conceded an equaliser when an Amiri free-kick took slight touches off Jonathan Tah and Neuer before reaching the far post, where Jae-Sung Lee headed into the empty Bayern goal. A VAR intervention and a review lasting several minutes ruled out the goal because the South Korean had been offside when the free-kick was taken.
The decision drew angry protests from the hosts. One member of staff protested particularly vehemently on the touchline, and referee Robert Schröder showed the staff member a yellow card.
Immediately after the goal, Neuer called for treatment and removed his right boot and sock. After discussing the injury with the Bayern doctors, the 40-year-old could not continue. Jonas Urbig replaced him (45').
What problems has Manuel Neuer had recently?
Neuer had only returned last Tuesday after a lengthy absence with tendon irritation in his foot. He played the full match in the 2-0 Champions League away win at Atletico Madrid, although he was rarely called upon. After the final whistle, he spoke openly to Amazon Prime about his enforced absence and explained what had been the worst part for him: "The pain. Definitely," he said.
He added: "I had pain when walking every day. And when I got up in the morning, including this morning, I had pain when walking again." Bayern had not officially announced whether the tendon irritation was in the foot affected on Saturday.
For Neuer, it was an unpleasant end to a record-breaking match: his appearance in Mainz made him the oldest player ever to play for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He surpassed Bernd Dreher.
