Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper of the German football team Bayern Munich, did not wish to add this number to his long record, but he became the unwanted record holder for the fastest goal received by a goalkeeper in the history of the German football league.
To make matters worse, the goal came as a result of a fatal error by Bayern Munich's veteran goalkeeper, after he allowed Augsburg's Robin Wielhauer to open the scoring after only 8.4 seconds, in the match that ended in a 2-2 draw.
Neuer (40 years old) said in a low tone: “I did not plan that before the match,” describing what happened as a “ridiculous mistake,” after the ball he tried to clear hit Wielhauer’s foot and landed in the net.
Neuer also did not appear well in Augsburg's second goal, scored by Rodrigo Ribeiro, and he merely said, in reference to the possibilities of his starting participation against Norwegian Viking Stavanger on Tuesday in the Champions League: “I have a prior feeling,” without clarifying whether he would guard the goal or whether his expected successor, Jonas Orbig, would participate.
Neuer is considered one of the most prominent goalkeepers in the history of football, having been crowned the best goalkeeper in the world five times, winning the World Cup, two Champions League titles, and 13 German League titles, during a busy career that is expected to end at the end of the current season.
On the other hand, Orbig (23 years old) gets regular opportunities to participate, and he recently left his first two matches with the German national team without conceding a goal.
Orbig appears to be a candidate to take over the starting goalkeeper position in Bayern Munich, and perhaps the German national team as well, but that does not necessarily mean keeping Neuer out of the starting lineup at the present time.
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer said in statements to Bild TV on Sunday: “Manuel Neuer was and remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
Hainer stressed that Neuer's mistake "has absolutely nothing to do with aging," adding: "Manuel Neuer has excellent physical fitness, and he could have easily made the same mistake when he was twenty years old."
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was also quick to stress that he was not worried about the goalkeeper, saying: “Manuel is the same age as me, and he knows how to deal with such situations.”
Bayern, which aspires to continue competing for titles, does not want to get into a controversy over goalkeeping, while Max Eberl, a member of the Board of Directors for Sports Affairs, confirmed that Neuer and Orbig deserve praise.
"There is no justification to doubt Neuer's abilities just because he made a mistake," Eberle said. “Jonas is developing exceptionally, and Manuel played a very big role in that, and he is still our main goalkeeper.”
Hainer praised Orbig, saying: “It is difficult to imagine a better successor to a world-class goalkeeper like Manuel Neuer.”
Bayern could have avoided the goalkeeping controversy if they had scored more than the two goals scored by Ismail Sibari and Nathaniel Brown, and emerged victorious from the Augsburg Stadium.
But the team failed to do so, not only because of wasting many opportunities, but also after four goals were disallowed due to offside, while two attempts by Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry hit the post and the crossbar.
Kompany said: “We are not happy because we did not win,” describing the match as “consecutive emotional fluctuations,” in the team’s first appearance after the three-week international break.
The coach added: “That's how football works.” Players are normal human beings, and they don't always get everything right. It hurts right now, but we have to move forward. Fortunately, we have many matches ahead of us, so we must overcome what happened.”
Immediately after the match, Kompany headed to Munich to receive an honorary award from Markus Söder, Prime Minister of the State of Bavaria, during the Bavarian Sports Awards ceremony.
The coach said about the Augsburg match: “We cannot change what happened anyway,” before turning his focus to the match against Viking Stavanger.
Protests from Spanish fans of Rayo Vallecano caused the suspension of their match against Athletic Bilbao, on Saturday, in the Spanish League, after the fans threw paper planes and rubber balls on the field, expressing their anger at the club president, Raul Martin Brisa, and demanding his departure. Due to mismanagement and deteriorating conditions at the team's stadium.
The match, which was held at the “Valecas” stadium in the capital, Madrid, witnessed the return of Rayo Vallecano to its stronghold for the first time this season, after it was forced to play its first three matches “at home” in the “Butarque” stadium of the Leganes club. As a result of concerns related to the safety of the facility and its failure to meet the required standards.
The protests began in the 13th minute, when the fans began throwing kites and rubber balls onto the field. This prompted the referee to temporarily stop the game, while Rayo Vallecano players Oscar Valentin and Issy Palazon went to speak with members of the “Bucaneros” group, known for its hardcore support for the team, in an attempt to calm the situation.
The match resumed for about 10 minutes, before the protests resumed on Sunday, and the referee decided to remove the players from the field before completing half an hour of play.
Although the players of both teams returned later in an attempt to complete the confrontation, the continued throwing of projectiles prevented it from resuming, so Rayo Vallecano announced the suspension of the match based on the recommendation of the police, in light of the continuing chants demanding Presa’s resignation.
The roots of the crisis go back to the recurring problems that the Valecas Stadium suffers from. Rayo Vallecano’s match against Real Oviedo was previously postponed last February due to concerns related to the safety of the field, before its match against Atletico Madrid was moved to the Butarque Stadium.
Although the team completed the 2025-2026 season at its home stadium, the Spanish League, in cooperation with the authorities of the Madrid region, decided to prevent it from hosting matches with the start of the new season. Due to violations that included fire prevention systems, electrical installations, emergency lighting, and sanitary facilities, in addition to the lack of mandatory safety-related documents.
After carrying out the required maintenance work, the club obtained approval to return to its stadium against Athletic Bilbao, but the fans took advantage of the occasion to escalate their protests against the president who has been running the club since 2011, amid continuing accusations against him of mismanagement and neglect.
Signs of anger appeared during a friendly match held at the stadium last week, when fans chanted slogans against Brisa, while writings appeared on the presidential box demanding his immediate departure.
In a statement issued after the events, the “Bucaneros” fan group confirmed that the protests were the result of years of accumulated frustration and anger among thousands of fans and season ticket holders, usually because the decision to withdraw the stadium’s license during the summer and force the team to play its matches away from home was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The group accused the club's management of endangering the safety and health of about 15,000 fans during matches, stressing that its protest movements will continue until there is a radical change in the way the club is managed.
It is expected that the match against Athletic Bilbao will be rescheduled at a later date, while new protests loom on the horizon as Rayo Vallecano’s next match at home to Elche on October 24 approaches, in light of the continuing tension between the fans and the club’s management.
Manchester United recorded its worst start in the English Premier League in 40 years, after being content with a draw against Tottenham, despite the latter playing a large part of the match with ten players, in a result that increased pressure on coach Michael Carrick, amid mounting fans’ dissatisfaction, and declining confidence in the team’s ability to overcome its crisis.
For the second match in a row at Old Trafford, United failed to exploit their numerical superiority to achieve victory, after they had been unable to resolve their confrontation against Manchester City 4 weeks ago, despite Phil Foden being sent off in the first half.
The hosts seemed on their way to achieving an important victory, after Brian Mboimu opened the scoring, before Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a violent challenge on Luke Shaw, but Tottenham succeeded in snatching an equalizer during stoppage time through Dominic Solanke.
The equalizing goal came after Solanke physically outmaneuvered defender Lisandro Martinez, before directing the ball with a smart touch towards the far corner, taking advantage of goalkeeper Signe Lammens' misjudgment, in a shot that reflected United's defensive fragility and inability to manage decisive moments.
The atmosphere at Old Trafford gradually turned from sarcastic chants to frustration and booing, after United fans had mocked Manchester City, against the backdrop of its case related to accusations of violating more than a hundred financial rules, chanting chants indicating the possibility of the neighbor’s relegation.
But that atmosphere changed as United's performance declined and their rhythm decreased, before Solanke's late goal dashed the fans' hopes of achieving victory, and revealed once again the problems the team was suffering from on the technical and mental levels.
Carrick has become Manchester United's third coach in three consecutive seasons, facing great pressure at an early stage of the season, in light of continuing disappointing results and increasing questions about the team's future.
Former United captain, Gary Neville, described what happened as “a worrying day for Michael Carrick,” referring to the amount of pressure the coach is facing.
As the points continue to bleed and the fans’ confidence declines, Carrick finds himself required to find quick solutions to restore balance to the team, before the crisis worsens in a season that began in the worst way for the club in 4 decades.
