Manuel Neuer was the hero as FC Bayern München reached the semis of the DFB Cup. The Bavarians beat Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 on penalties; it was goalless after 120 minutes of football in the BayArena.
Pep Guardiola’s side are still dreaming of the treble – they top the Bundesliga and are impressing in the DFB Cup and Champions League. If they win the domestic cup this season, they will be the first to win it three years in a row.
Further penalty heartbreak for Bayer 04
It is the second time Leverkusen have been knocked out of a competition on spot kicks in recent weeks – Athletico Madrid came out on top in a Champions League shootout last month. The defeat means Bayer 04 can concentrate on claiming a spot in next year’s Champions League.
The hosts raced out of the traps and could have been in front after two minutes but Julian Brandt failed to make the most of good work from Karim Bellarabi. Bayern could have had a penalty moments later but Felix Zwayer waved away their protests. Stefan Kießling and Bellarabi had chances to open the scoring but a combination of wasteful finishing and great goalkeeping ensured that the deadlock wasn’t broken.
Goal ruled out for the guests
Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller also wasted opportunities and it took the visitors until the 41st minute to have a shot on target but home keeper Bernd Leno was in imperious form. A sour note for Bayern came when Medhi Benatia went off injured in the first half. He was replaced by Sebastian Rode, a change which saw Xabi Alonso slot into the back three.
Robert Lewandowski headed home after 60 minutes but his effort was ruled out for a foul on a defender. Bellarabi and Kießling then had further chances to put Bayer 04 in front but Neuer was in top form. The remainder of the game was relatively uneventful, although Mario Götze volleyed wide with the goal at his mercy in extra time.
The game eventually went to penalties. Thomas Müller scored Bayern’s first penalty; Manuel Neuer kept our Josip Drmic. The following six penalties were all converted, which meant that Thiago was presented with the opportunity to put Bayern in the semis. The midfielder showed no sign of nerves and coolly slotted home to put his side into the last four.
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Manuel Neuer was the hero as FC Bayern München reached the semis of the DFB Cup. The Bavarians beat Bayer Leverkusen 5-3 on penalties; it was goalless after 120 minutes of football in the BayArena.
Pep Guardiola’s side are still dreaming of the treble – they top the Bundesliga and are impressing in the DFB Cup and Champions League. If they win the domestic cup this season, they will be the first to win it three years in a row.
Further penalty heartbreak for Bayer 04
It is the second time Leverkusen have been knocked out of a competition on spot kicks in recent weeks – Athletico Madrid came out on top in a Champions League shootout last month. The defeat means Bayer 04 can concentrate on claiming a spot in next year’s Champions League.
The hosts raced out of the traps and could have been in front after two minutes but Julian Brandt failed to make the most of good work from Karim Bellarabi. Bayern could have had a penalty moments later but Felix Zwayer waved away their protests. Stefan Kießling and Bellarabi had chances to open the scoring but a combination of wasteful finishing and great goalkeeping ensured that the deadlock wasn’t broken.
Goal ruled out for the guests
Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller also wasted opportunities and it took the visitors until the 41st minute to have a shot on target but home keeper Bernd Leno was in imperious form. A sour note for Bayern came when Medhi Benatia went off injured in the first half. He was replaced by Sebastian Rode, a change which saw Xabi Alonso slot into the back three.
Robert Lewandowski headed home after 60 minutes but his effort was ruled out for a foul on a defender. Bellarabi and Kießling then had further chances to put Bayer 04 in front but Neuer was in top form. The remainder of the game was relatively uneventful, although Mario Götze volleyed wide with the goal at his mercy in extra time.
The game eventually went to penalties. Thomas Müller scored Bayern’s first penalty; Manuel Neuer kept our Josip Drmic. The following six penalties were all converted, which meant that Thiago was presented with the opportunity to put Bayern in the semis. The midfielder showed no sign of nerves and coolly slotted home to put his side into the last four.
