Manuel Neuer didn’t hold back in blaming the opposing goalkeeper outright.
The aftershocks of the unfortunate incident that happened mid-match lingered long after. Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany expressed his anger about Jamal Musiala’s injury during the post-match press conference.
Neuer, Bayern’s goalkeeper, directly pointed fingers at PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, saying he cannot escape responsibility for Musiala’s injury.
In Atlanta on Saturday, Bayern lost 2-0 to Luis Enrique’s PSG in the Club World Cup semi-final, with goals from Dijié Doué and Ousmane Dembélé. Just before halftime, Musiala suffered a serious injury during a clash inside PSG’s box.
Musiala challenged PSG defender Willian Pacho for control of the ball when Donnarumma accidentally stepped on Musiala’s foot. The young midfielder badly hurt his left ankle and had to leave the field after some treatment.
At the press conference, Kompany showed rare anger. Despite the team’s poor performance, such frustration from him is unusual.
“I rarely get this angry at halftime, and not at my own players. There are more important things in life than this. But for these kids, football is their life.”
“Jamal lives for this… and when something like this happens, you feel helpless. I’m sitting here now, but thinking about that incident makes me really angry. It’s not because of the match result. I understand it’s football, but it happened to someone who really loves the game and is very important to us.”
Bayern’s medical team rushed onto the field right after the incident. Donnarumma was visibly shaken, covering his face in disbelief and frustration as he realized the severity of Musiala’s injury.
After the match, Neuer openly blamed Donnarumma, saying he had confronted him directly during the game.
“In situations like that, it’s wrong to go in that way. It’s risky and he was ready to risk injuring the opponent.”
“I told him, ‘Don’t you want to go to our player?’ The right thing would have been to approach the injured player and wish him well. Eventually, he did that. Fairness is always important… I could have reacted differently too.”
Later, Donnarumma posted on Instagram, “Jamal, my best wishes and prayers for your recovery.”
Bayern have not yet officially disclosed the extent of Musiala’s injury or how long he will be out. However, German newspaper Bild reports that Musiala may need around five months to fully recover.
