Bayern beat Mainz 2-1 as Neuer leaves early on record-breaking day

Bayern Munich beat Mainz 2-1 on Saturday to remain top of the Bundesliga, but Manuel Neuer’s appearance as the club’s oldest player ended before half-time because of injury. The Guardian reported that the goalkeeper suffered a recurrence of a foot problem and was replaced by Jonas Urbig on a day when Bayern extended their unbeaten away league run to 31 matches.

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Neuer, aged 40 years and 225 days, moved beyond Bernd Dreher to claim the club record. His afternoon also included an uncertain moment while Bayern were leading 1-0: he failed to deal with a cross and Lee Jae-sung put the ball into the net for Mainz. The effort was disallowed for offside, leaving Bayern’s lead intact despite the goalkeeper’s error.

The foot injury had already kept Neuer out of four games before his return in Bayern’s 2-0 Champions League victory at Atlético Madrid earlier in the week. According to the Guardian’s report, he has played only twice since last month’s 2-2 draw against Augsburg. His early withdrawal at Mainz therefore followed a recent spell out of the side rather than an uninterrupted run of appearances.

Harry Kane did not score against Mainz, but he supplied the assists for both Bayern goals. Joshua Kimmich and 18-year-old Lennart Karl were the scorers as the visitors collected three points. Their contributions ensured Bayern came away with a victory even as the enforced change in goal interrupted Neuer’s milestone appearance. The result also preserved Bayern’s long unbeaten sequence on their Bundesliga travels.

Bayern and Borussia Dortmund both have 21 points from nine league games, with Bayern ahead on goal difference. Dortmund maintained their challenge by defeating promoted Elversberg 2-1, with Felix Nmecha scoring both goals. The two results left the leading clubs level on points rather than allowing Bayern to open a gap over their closest rivals.

RB Leipzig remained third, three points behind the leaders, following a 5-2 home win over Augsburg. Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Jonathan Burkardt scored in the 93rd minute to earn Eintracht Frankfurt a 2-2 draw at Paderborn. For Bayern, the immediate outcome was a win and continued leadership of the table, accompanied by a renewed injury concern for Neuer.