Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer disagrees with the notion that he was at fault for the second goal conceded in their 1-2 loss to Ecuador during the third group stage match of the World Cup.
In the 77th minute, following a corner kick, Ecuadorian forward Kevin Rodriguez headed the ball into the center of the penalty area, where Gonzalo Plata scored from close range. Neuer attempted to disrupt the header but was unable to do so. He maintains that his actions in this situation were correct.
“It was a completely normal header, and I was simply trying to catch the ball. This is a perfectly standard scenario. Any goalkeeper who has ever played the game knows that I have to take up that position and try to catch the ball in that way. It’s a header, and you try to reach the ball. Of course, it looks unfortunate, but it was not my mistake. How else was I supposed to stand there? Should I have dived even though the ball was coming straight at me? I had to move towards the ball and try to catch it. If someone puts their foot in and the ball goes past me, then it goes past me. But I had to take exactly that position. There was no other option. I can’t just disappear,” Neuer explained, as reported by Bayern & Germany.
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