"Outstanding": Neuer lauds Leverkusen star

Following Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory in the DFB-Pokal semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen, Manuel Neuer had special praise for his fellow goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Posted Thursday, April 23, 2026 by goal

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern München - DFB Cup Semifinal

Following Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory in the DFB-Pokal semi-final at Bayer Leverkusen, Manuel Neuer had special praise for his fellow goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

"It stayed a tight 1-0 for a long time. Mark Flekken was outstanding in goal, to be honest. We should have put away one or two chances earlier; we left a few opportunities on the field," Neuer told Sky after Wednesday evening's match.

Flekken thwarted several good Bayern chances, keeping the cup semi-final taut until the very end. In the 22nd minute, though, Harry Kane finally beat him to open the scoring for the visitors. Flekken’s string of stops kept Bayer in the contest, and it took a late strike from Luis Diaz to secure a 2-0 win and send Bayern to the final.

“Mark Flekken kept us in the game,” praised Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand. The Dutchman, who spent five years at SC Freiburg before moving from Brentford last summer for €11 million, is under contract until 2028 and currently serves as the Oranje’s second-choice shot-stopper.

Yet Flekken told Sky it was not his best performance for the club. He rates his 2–0 win at Manchester City in the Champions League group stage in late November as his standout outing. “We won then, we lost today – so it can’t be the best game,” the 32-year-old said.

FBL-GER-CUP-LEVERKUSEN-BAYERN MUNICH

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Bayern’s dominance meant Neuer enjoyed a relatively quiet evening, although he was occasionally tested. His most notable intervention arrived in the 52nd minute, when he produced a superb save to deny Nathan Tella and keep Leverkusen at bay.

“My job is to stay focused and play my part. It reminds me of the old days, when I faced just one or two situations and had to be there. That’s what the second half felt like today,” explained Neuer.

The 40-year-old, whose contract expires this summer, would not confirm whether he will stay on for another season. “You can try to tempt me, but I’m obviously not going to announce anything now. Things are looking good at the moment, it’s fun,” the former Germany captain said, keeping his options close to his chest.

Neuer was, however, delighted to be back in the DFB Cup final with Bayern for the first time since 2020, which takes place on 23 May at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. “For someone who knows how special this match is, the long wait was annoying,” Neuer said of Munich’s absence from the final since 2020. “The cup means a lot to all of us; it has its own atmosphere. We were determined to get back, and thankfully we did.”

Their opponents will be decided on Thursday, when VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg contest the second semi-final.

FC Bayern Munich’s next fixtures

Date

Match

Competition

Saturday, 25 April

FSV Mainz 05 vs. FC Bayern

Bundesliga

Tuesday, 28 April

Paris Saint-Germain vs. FC Bayern

Champions League

Saturday, 2 May