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#3 Neuer shines on Germany return
One of the more headline-grabbing issues ahead of the kickoff was the return of sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer, who’d anchor the net for Germany for the first time since October 2016. The Bayern Munich shot-stopper also returned to action since recovering from an injury that ruled him out for almost all of 2017/18 season and it was a memorable return too.
The best German player on the field, Neuer pulled off a string of amazing saves to imbue some confidence about his form ahead of the competition. He was vigilant and read the movement of the ball well, coming up clutches whenever called into action. He produced 5 saves on the night, the best one was the one near the byline in the opening half, as Florian Grillitsch almost pulled an equaliser.
Despite his best efforts, there was no clean sheet for him on his return. But Neuer couldn’t be blamed for either of Austria’s goals. Both were moments of pure quality, but it doesn’t dim his bright showings any much.
It was a fine return in goal, but against Saudi Arabia, he’d pick up more gametime and also test his mettle before jetting off to Russia.
