Why Manuel Neuer was sent off in the DFB Cup and Michael Zetterer wasn’t

For FC Bayern Munich, the DFB Cup is becoming more and more of a horror competition. Bayern have already won the cup 20 times, but in the last five years it has always ended early. This was also the case on Tuesday evening, when Bayern lost 1-0 to the reigning German champions Leverkusen in the Allianz Arena at home. The first of the desired titles is gone, the main actor was someone to whom Bayern owe a lot, but who inadvertently had an influence on the game: Manuel Neuer.

The 17th minute of the game was underway when Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah overplayed the Munich defense with a long ball and sent Jeremie Frimpong towards Manuel Neuer. The 38-year-old rushed out of his goal but missed the ball and hit Frimpong instead. Referee Harm Osmers immediately pulled out the red card – Neuer’s first dismissal in his 867th professional game. “That is of course decisive for the game,” said the 38-year-old goalkeeper himself. “That hurts us, and of course I’m sorry.” He had already apologized to his teammates on the pitch.

Although the Munich team still had a few chances to take the lead in the first half, it was just after the break that the strength of the record cup winners, who were outnumbered, dwindled. There was no criticism of Neuer’s sending off from the coach. “Manu has made a decision. This is football. And that’s part of it,” said Vincent Kompany.

Around 575 kilometers as the crow flies from the Allianz Arena, another goalkeeper was in focus that evening and only shortly after Neuer’s dismissal: Werder Bremen’s Michael Zetterer in almost the same game situation. Darmstadt attacker Isac Lidberg escaped from the Bremen defense after a long ball and was rudely fouled 30 meters from the goal by the rushing Zetterer. The difference: “I believe that the ball goes away from the goal, so you can (…) give a yellow,” said Werder coach Ole Werner. Two Bremen defenders were also running along and standing behind the goalkeeper. But Werner didn’t want to skimp on criticism either, calling his goalkeeper’s action “unnecessary” – probably in the knowledge that Zetterer could have been sent off by referee Martin Petersen for a serious foul.

The Darmstadt side reacted with incomprehension to the action, which resulted in a yellow card. “The question I ask myself: What if I go out there like that in Bremen,” said Darmstadt goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen. “One hundred percent a red card.” Darmstadt’s coach Florian Kohfeldt, who was on the sidelines for Bremen between 2017 and 2021, saw the situation similarly to Ole Werner, but still questioned the decision. “Nevertheless, you have to say that he has a clear shot at the goal. And you may also have to talk about the level of contact in the event that he hits it. That’s probably a gray area, he made that decision. We have to accept that.” said Kohfeldt at his old place of work.

Annoying for Darmstadt: In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Anthony Jung shot Bremen into the quarter-finals with the 1-0 winning goal. Darmstadt’s cup season is over, as is that of FC Bayern Munich.