World Cup 2018: 3 Unbelievable Goalkeeping Errors
The 2018 World Cup was a showpiece that completed a true supporter's thirst for footballing entertainment, There were tackles, red cards, disallowed goals, pitch invasions, great goals, lots of penalties and great saves among others. Whereas much of the attention was placed on the attacking star players, goalkeepers too played their role in keeping us at the edge of our seats.
There was a lot of good goalkeeping seen at the World Cup even from the 'smaller' nations. It was no surprise to see big sides like Spain and Portugal struggle against a team like Iran. Despite dominating the game, there was always that last line of defence in the shape of goalkeepers who did their best to keep the scoreline intact.
Young goalkeepers like England's Jordan Pickford showed great maturity and command between the goal to no doubt emerge as a top prospect in the transfer market. Goalkeepers such as Egypt's Essam El-hadary proved that age is nothing but a number. At 45, he became the oldest player to ever take part in a World Cup. He showed great reflexes to save a penalty against Saudi Arabia.
On the flipside, there were a number of top goalkeepers who were guilty of making rookie mistakes and ultimate howlers in the course of the tournament. Some of these three incidents became widely talked about and proved to be crucial in shaping the outcome of the match.
#3 Neuer v South Korea
The then defending champions Germany went into their third and final Group F match on June 27, 2018, needing nothing short of a win to be assured of safe passage into the last 16. Prior to the World Cup, there was a lot of debate on whether or not Manuel Neuer would be fit to make the team let alone start given his long injury absence. German boss Joachim Low was bullish in his decision to not only select Neuer but give him the captain's armband.
After losing 1-0 to Mexico, Germany responded by beating Sweden 2-1 to set up a classic finale against South Korea. The Asian side was already eliminated following two losses and no one expected them to trouble the Germans. The Germans threw everything at South Korea but could not find a breakthrough. Kim Young-Gwon gave South Korea a shock lead in the 92nd minute.
This prompted Germany to commit players forward in search of an equaliser. Neuer too decided to leave his goal area unattended and joined the attack. In the 96th minute, Ju Se-jong dispossessed Neuer deep into the South Korean half and punted the ball clear. With no goalkeeper in sight, striker Son Heung-Min had a clear path to goal and he was able to score into an empty net. The Asians won 2-0 to condemn Germany to elimination and a bottom placed finish in the group.