Neuer's 9 saves power Bayern past Madrid 2-1
SkimNews Take
Neuer's nine-save masterclass at 40 points to why veteran goalkeepers retain outsized value: positioning and game-reading degrade far more slowly than the physical tools outfield players lose with age.
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- Manuel Neuer made nine saves in Bayern Munich's 2-1 Champions League quarterfinal first-leg win at Real Madrid, his highest single-game save count in five seasons across all competitions and his best in a knockout match since making 10 against Madrid in April 2017.
- Vincent Kompany said he is "impressed every day" by the 40-year-old Neuer at training, while diplomatically declining to crown him the greatest goalkeeper ever out of respect for Thibaut Courtois.
- Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior each forced three saves from Neuer before Mbappé finally beat him in the 74th minute, though Neuer got a hand to the shot that still crept over the line.
- Real Madrid's Andriy Lunin and Antonio Rüdiger both called Neuer Bayern's "best player" after the match, with Kompany responding: "If he was the best player I'm happy with that, it's not a problem."
- Bayern Munich take a 2-1 aggregate lead into next week's second leg in Munich, where a draw or win would send them through, though Mbappé's away goal keeps Madrid within striking distance.
Why it matters: Bayern hold a one-goal aggregate lead heading to Munich for the second leg, but Mbappé's 74th-minute away goal — which Neuer nearly kept out — means Madrid need only a 1-0 win in Germany to force extra time, keeping a heavyweight tie genuinely alive. Neuer's nine saves were his most in a Champions League knockout match since April 2017, also against Real Madrid, underscoring how rare and decisive this performance was even by his standards.
