The incident occurred in the 77th minute when Ecuador forward Kevin Rodríguez headed the ball into the box and Gonzalo Plata finished from close range. When asked if he bore responsibility, Neuer stated: "No. Because this was a completely normal header and I was simply trying to catch the ball."
Neuer elaborated: "Every goalkeeper who's ever played this game knows I need to be in that position. If someone puts their foot in and the ball goes past me, it goes past me. But I needed to be in exactly that position. There is no other option." The goalkeeper's explanation challenged perceptions that his positioning was erroneous, framing the outcome as unfortunate rather than a defensive error. Germany lost the match 1:2 but advanced as group winners.
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