Bayern Munich lost 0-1 at home to Leverkusen in Germany's round of 16 at dawn on Wednesday, marking a fifth consecutive season of "graduation" from their brilliant run. 38-year-old goalkeeper Neua was targeted in the matchup, picking up his first career red card prematurely, leaving Bayern one man short of a goalkeeper. He received the first red card of his career too early, causing Bayern to be in a situation where they were one man short. After the match, he publicly apologized to the fans.
The dramatic scene occurred in the 16th minute. A long pass from the back of the field by Leverkusen was decisively attacked by Newa, but he missed a good opportunity to intercept the ball, allowing the opponent to form a one-two punch. Shelly Mayfair Limbang was then shown a red card by the referee and ejected from the match. Although Leverkusen only played 69 minutes, Nitundina's shot from inside the box was the only goal scored by the crowd to knock Bayern out of the competition.
The statistics show that Newa has played 867 games in his career and has accumulated 23 yellow cards. However, this red card is the first time in his career. The legendary goalkeeper issued an apology through social media platforms after the game: "It was too difficult ...... I just wanted to go forward to help (unclogging), but unfortunately, I was too slow. After the red card, it was extremely difficult for my teammates to face the pressure, but I still gave it my all and worked really, really hard."
