Following Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory in the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen, Manuel Neuer specifically lauded his fellow goalkeeper, Mark Flekken.
«It was a close 1-0 for a long time. Mark Flekken kept outstandingly well, honestly. We could have converted one or two more chances earlier, we left a bit out there,» Neuer stated after the match on Wednesday evening in an interview with Sky.
Flekken had thwarted several good opportunities from Bayern, ensuring that the cup semi-final remained exciting until the very end. In the 22nd minute, Leverkusen’s keeper was beaten when Harry Kane scored the opening goal for the visitors. Thanks to Flekken’s saves, Bayer held onto hope of reaching the final for a long time, only for Luis Diaz to seal the 2-0 final score shortly before the final whistle.
«Mark Flekken kept us in the game,» also praised Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand his goalkeeper. Flekken, who previously played for SC Freiburg for five years, transferred from FC Brentford to Bayer 04 last summer for eleven million euros. The Dutch national keeper, currently the second-choice for Oranje, is under contract with the Werkself until 2028.
Flekken himself, however, commented to Sky that it wasn’t his best game during his time at Leverkusen. He believes his top performance in a Bayer jersey was during the 2-0 win against Manchester City in the Champions League group stage in late November. «We won there, we lost today – so it can’t be the best game,» said the 32-year-old.
FC Bayern Returns to the DFB-Pokal Final: «It Annoyed Me»
Neuer, meanwhile, had a mostly quiet evening due to Bayern’s dominance, but was occasionally called into action. This included a strong save in the 52nd minute from a shot by Nathan Tella, preventing Leverkusen from equalizing.
«For me, it’s just about playing along and staying focused. It reminds me a bit of old times, where I only had one or two situations in a game and just had to be there. That’s how it was today in the second half too,» Neuer explained.
When asked whether he would extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season, and stay at Bayern for another year, Neuer was non-committal: «You can try to lure me, but of course, I won’t announce anything now. At the moment, it’s looking good, it’s fun,» the former German national keeper remained guarded.
Neuer expressed great joy that Bayern has reached the DFB-Pokal final for the first time since 2020, which will take place on May 23rd at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. «For someone who knows how special this game is, it certainly annoyed me,» Neuer said about Bayern’s long absence from the cup final. «The cup is something special for all of us, it has a special flair. We absolutely wanted to get there, and fortunately, we succeeded.»
Who FCB will face in Berlin at the end of May will be decided on Thursday evening. VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg will then compete in the second semi-final for the second ticket to the final.