Manuel Neuer criticises Gianluigi Donnarumma over Jamal Musiala injury in Club World Cup clash – The Athletic – The New York Times

FIFA Club World Cup
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has criticised his Paris Saint-Germain counterpart Gianluigi Donnarumma for the challenge which injured Jamal Musiala during Saturday’s Club World Cup quarter-final.
Musiala appeared to suffer a left ankle injury just before half-time when attempting to reach a ball that was smothered by Donnarumma.
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The German rolled off the pitch and received treatment before the half ended. He was then replaced by Serge Gnabry after the break. Donnarumma appeared shaken after seeing Musiala’s condition following their coming together.
“A situation where you don’t have to go in like that.” Neuer said to media after the game, via Sky Germany. “That’s taking a risk. He takes the risk of injuring his opponent.
“I went to him and said, ‘Don’t you want to go to our player?’ It’s a matter of respect to go over and wish the guy all the best. He did it afterward … Fairness is always important. I would have reacted differently.”
 
 
A post shared by GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA (@donnarumma)

Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN that Musiala, who left the pitch on a stretcher, had been taken to hospital.
Kompany said in his post-match news conference he has “rarely been so angry” as he was at half-time, but he did not suggest this anger was directed at Donnarumma. He had earlier said the collision was an “accident”.
“I’ve rarely been so angry at halftime,” Kompany added. “There are many things in life that are important — much more important than this — but for these guys, it’s their life. It’s their life. Jamal lives for this. He came back from a setback and then this happens in the way it happens and you feel powerless.
“When I’m sitting here now, the thing that gets my blood boiling now, it’s not the result, but the fact that it happened to someone that enjoys the game so much and is also so important for us.”
“If I jump on the lower leg with 100 kilos after a sprint, there’s a high risk that something will happen,” Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl added, via Sky Germany. “I don’t think he did it intentionally, but he also didn’t take any care.”
Musiala has had misfortune with injury since signing a new contract in February. At the start of April, the 22-year-old sustained a hamstring issue which ruled him out for the rest of the season. Bayern’s Club World Cup opener against Auckland City FC, in which Musiala scored a hat-trick after being brought on as a substitute, was his first game back. He then featured off the bench in Bayern’s remaining two group games, before being unused in their last-16 win over Flamengo.
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Bayern had already lost Josip Stanicic to injury earlier in the first half of the PSG game, with the full-back withdrawn for Sacha Boey in the 34th minute.
Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele scored the goals for PSG in the 2-0 win. The French side will face the winner of Saturday’s later quarter-final, when Real Madrid take on Borussia Dortmund, in their semi-final on Wednesday but will be without Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez in that, after both defenders were shown straight red cards during the win over Bayern.
Additional reporting: Seb Stafford-Bloor and James Horncastle
(Top photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

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