Goalkeeper Harry Kane left the arena with a bandaged ankle, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was looking forward to his DFB comeback. While the national goalkeeper was looking forward to the next emotional climax a few days after the birth of his first child, the injury to the top striker brought some worry lines to those in charge at FC Bayern Munich after the easy 5:2 (2:1) win at Darmstadt 98 .
“He twisted his ankle and had to cool his ankle with ice. We still have to wait for an exact diagnosis. We hope that the moment of shock remains,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel after the record champions’ successful performance against the bottom of the football table -Bundesliga.
Kane, who scored his 31st goal of the season shortly before half-time and thus came a step closer to Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record (41), sustained the injury in the final phase without any influence from the opponent.
Check by medical examiners
According to Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund, the 30-year-old will travel to the English national team despite the injury and be checked out by his medical examiner. “We are in close coordination. He won’t take any risks,” said Freund and added: “We hope that it’s not that bad and that he’ll be back on the pitch soon.”
Kane’s injury was the only downside to what was otherwise a successful afternoon of football from Bayern’s perspective, with double goalscorer Jamal Musiala (36th/64th minute) providing the highlights.
“He has reached a very good level and is decisive for us in the game. He feels comfortable and is fit. The decision-making between dribbling and passing is very good at the moment,” said Tuchel, praising the outstanding midfielder.
Even Lieberknecht raves
Musiala not only scored twice, but also prepared Serge Gnabry’s goal (74′) to make it 4-1. This even made Darmstadt’s coach Torsten Lieberknecht rave. “If you’re not directly involved as the opposing team, it’s a real pleasure to watch the boy. Germany is lucky that we have such a player. With him we can become European champions,” said Lieberknecht.
Neuer, who is about to return to the DFB goal in France and against the Netherlands, also wants to contribute to this. “I’m concentrating on myself, on my performance and will give my all again for the national team. The coach will then decide,” said the 37-year-old goalkeeper.
The win at the bottom rounded off a great week for him after becoming a father for the first time just days before the game. “Of course you can’t compare that with sport. That’s why it’s the greatest happiness in my personal life,” said Neuer about the birth of his child.
New one with monster parade
The Bayern keeper showed that he is ready for the job with the national team, for which he last played at the 2022 Winter World Cup, with a monster save in the first half against Darmstadt’s Mathias Honsak. He was powerless when Tim Skarke and Oscar Vilhelmsson conceded goals, which really bothered him.
“That’s clearly too much. We have to talk about it,” said Neuer about the defensive mistakes that didn’t go unnoticed by Tuchel. “We weren’t attentive enough,” said the Bayern coach.
However, this did not dampen his joy at the overall confident performance of the defending champions, who reduced the gap to leaders Bayer Leverkusen to seven points, at least for one night. “We are happy that we were able to continue our run. Our goal was to win the game. That’s what we did,” summarized Tuchel.
