Maier: Neuer not a scapegoat for Germany's loss, but must reflect on his mistakes

Neuer's performance in Germany's final group stage match, a 1-2 loss to Ecuador, continues to draw discussion. German legendary goalkeeper Sepp Maier shared his views in an interview with SPORT1.

"Manu (Neuer), in the past, you would surely have caught that ball. Of course, it looked very unlucky, and I can understand Manu's reaction to the journalists because someone wanted to pin a big mistake on him. Manu is not the scapegoat for this loss; it's not fair," Maier said.

"The whole team played terribly in that match, but Manu should have come out to meet the ball earlier instead of waiting for it. A goalkeeper of his caliber must be more proactive in such situations, and he needs to reflect on his performance."

"For Manu, the expectations are different. He has saved Germany from danger countless times, so much so that people almost forget he can also make mistakes. But in that goal conceded, Manu certainly didn't look ideal," Maier explained.

"It wasn't a catastrophic performance; qualification has been achieved, but in the knockout stages, such situations will be severely punished. Then Manu must return to his best form."

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